In Days of Yore
by anastasia.rosephoenix
Summary: Pietro and Wanda Maximoff are being built as the next wave of HYDRA super weapons. The Winter Soldier is reawakened and brought in to train the future assassins. WINTERWITCH. Pre-CATWS and AAoU. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter One

**A/N -** The coupling WinterWitch surprised me, and even though I'm all for Wanda and Vision, there's just something about Wanda and Bucky that bothered me, but in a good way. The result was this little tale.

 **Complete summary:** Twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, the only survivors of human experiments with the Scepter conducted by Wolfgang von Strucker, are now being built as the next wave of HYDRA super weapons. With their abilities, HYDRA believes that they will be even more successful than the already decades-old Winter Soldier Program. So who better to mold them into assassins than the original Winter Soldier himself, who is reawakened and brought in to train them. But no one could've imagined what would enfold between Wanda and her infamous trainer.

 **Characters:** Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Wolfgang von Strucker, Doctor List, Brock Rumlow, Alexander Pierce

 **Setting:** Before the fall of SHIELD (CATWS) and the Avengers' infiltration of the Hydra Research Facility in Sokovia (AoU)

* * *

" _In days of old…"_

 **HYDRA Research Base, Sokovia, Eastern Europe**

She was at her house, reading a book on the sofa while munching on fresh cut carrots that her mother had just bought. She distantly heard her brother enter the kitchen asking their mother what she was cooking. She didn't hear her mother's answer, as before she could even open her mouth, there was a large boom over their heads that shook the whole house, and a second later, the roof caved in. Screams were deafened by the sound of bombs going off all around them.

Wanda jolted awake. She was drenched in sweat, from head to toe. Her fingers were already tingling, and so she rubbed them on her bedsheets to calm it down. She inched her head, which was pounding against her skull, to the nightstand. 3:07 a.m. Wanda briefly closed her eyes and sighed, running a hand through wet matted dark brown hair. She laid back down on her twin-sized bed and stared at the grey plastered ceiling above her.

Doctor List had told her over and over again that her memories were not safe. That she shouldn't give her brain any reason to remember. It was better not to, he had said. It wasn't worth the pain. She had nearly died and been reborn for a much greater purpose. She had been given a second chance at life, along with cosmic powers unlike anything ever seen before.

It wasn't worth to remember _anything_.

Wanda shook her head and turned on her side, arm slipping under her pillow. She was stronger, she reminded herself. What had happened, happened, and now things were much different. She was primed to become the face of Hydra's new program. She couldn't risk having any weaknesses. She _wouldn't_ have any weaknesses.

* * *

Wanda and her twin brother Pietro were waiting in the training center, both in irritable moods. They had been yanked from their sleep at an early hour and told to change immediately into newly designed workout clothing. Apparently, Baron von Strucker had hurried up the process of combat instruction by some weeks as he felt compelled to head start the program in light of the recent activity by the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Sokovian siblings were standing by the wall, eyes occasionally wandering around the center. Wanda's light brown mane was pulled back into a ponytail and her skin was rather pale that morning, which worried Pietro. She hadn't been eating again. Pietro shook his head in disappointment. He knew that Wanda was still being haunted by nightmares, but he couldn't understand why it had to interfere with her health. She needed to remain physically durable, if not her sake then for his.

Wanda's feet shifted, having heard Pietro's thinking. She glared at him, her irises instantaneously turning bright red.

"I'm fine," she muttered in their native tongue.

Pietro huffed under his breath. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

Wanda rolled her eyes and faced the entryway of the center where there were four heavily armed agents on either side of it. A few seconds later, Doctor List and von Strucker came through the door. So finally they were going to actually train. The two men stood in the middle of the large window-less room.

As Doctor List tried organizing the slips of paper in his hand into a folder, von Strucker spoke.

"I know that I had previously stated that all three of you wouldn't begin combat engagement for another month or so, but after seeing progress in each of your control of your respective abilities, I feel it is imperative that we move along to the next step in your training: how to defend yourself."

The twins slowly looked at each other. They were intrigued yet frightened. It was true that each of them had grown in developing their powers and how to discipline them, but they were still very cautious. The last thing they wanted was to hurt someone, or worse, one another.

Once the announcement sank in, von Strucker continued.

"You are the new representations of Hydra. And as such, you must not only be mentally capable of overriding the enemy, you must also defeat them with your own hands. And once that happens, the planet will be ours for the taking, and it'll be because of your brave efforts."

The duo could only gawk at von Strucker as he spewed what sounded like a medieval soliloquy. Neither didn't know how properly react to such powerful declarations so they only nodded in agreement. von Strucker appeared pleased by this, choosing to ignore the warning glances Doctor List was throwing at him.

"Now, you will need special, specific types of training. One for each of your talent. But we will get to that third step once you all are able to train in basic defense. For that, I have brought in a…." von Strucker's lips shaped into a rather ominous smirk. "An extraordinary creation of Hydra. A technological miracle that's been ours for the latter part of the century. One that you two will be succeeding. He is known as the Winter Soldier."

At that moment, two of the Hydra guards closest to the door opened it and in came a man with shaggy shoulder-length dark brown hair and a metal cybernetic left arm. Wanda caught sight of the gasp that emitted from a shocked Doctor List, who moved aside as the Winter Soldier stood in between him and von Strucker. His eyes, the color of a stormy blue, were blank as he carefully gazed at the two superhumans in front of him. Pietro involuntarily nudged closer to his sister. The tall, buff man held his attention at Wanda longer than she expected, and it left her in discomfort.

"He has already been briefed about the program, your abilities and what the main goal is, which is to train you to the utmost strength you can manage," von Strucker said as he raised his arm to check his watch. "Ah, what perfect time. Your training will start right now and every day for an hour until the Winter Soldier himself tells me if you are ready for physical training involving your powers."

Before he could turn around and leave, Doctor List finally broke his silence.

"Wait, Baron! Are… are you sure? I mean, it's not that they're not competent, but I think it's too early to have them –"

von Strucker's composure stiffened and he sternly said, "They are ready. Don't question me. Remember your place, doctor." He then faced the Winter Soldier and flicked his chin in the direction of the twins. "Begin, _soldat_."

Doctor List stole one more glance at his patients before trudging on after von Strucker, not bothering to face the Winter Soldier. Once the doors were closed, the man's fists loosened at his sides and he took a gander at his subjects before acknowledging them.

"Who wants to go first?" he asked in a low, scruffy tone that revealed his American background.

Once again, the twins peered at one other. This was an incredibly intimidating person who was going to train them, and so they kind of had to trust him. The problem was how could they trust someone whom they knew absolutely nothing about?

Seeing his sister's bewildered face, Pietro met the Winter Soldier's cold glare.

"Don't you want to see our powers first before training us?"

The Winter Soldier was unmoved. "I've read about them."

Pietro snickered and shook his head. "Reading is not seeing."

He titled his face by barely an inch, but Wanda took it as him considering Pietro's assertion. She then attempted to sneak a peek into his mind, but wound up finding an empty shell. She couldn't find any memory, except for the past few minutes. It was as if he had no previous life before today. Pietro sensed Wanda's scrutiny and lightly elbowed her to stop. If they were to get through training alive, it was best not to ask questions regarding their daunting trainee.

"Show me then."

The Winter Soldier stepped back until he was a few feet away from the entrance. Pietro gulped and looked down at his sister, who nodded in approval. The silver-haired twin acquiesced and then in a blur, presented himself right in front of the Winter Soldier. Before the assassin could respond, however, Pietro had suddenly disappeared from view and stood in a corner of the room. In a matter of milliseconds, he had run fifty laps around the room and stood in the middle of the center.

"That's my power," Pietro said, which came off as insulting. He then nonchalantly walked back to his sister, winking at her. The girls could only look on disapprovingly.

Wanda went next. She closed her eyes, took in a shaky breath, and opened her eyes. Light blue eyes were engulfed in a dark red shade, and her hands released a red glowing mist that traveled to the rack of weights at the end of the room. One by one, she lifted them, each weight getting heavier and heavier. They all were suspended in the air, and when Wanda couldn't hold them any longer, she swiftly placed them back in their spot. Wanda then turned to the Winter Soldier, and couldn't help but smirk just a tad at his reaction. His eyes had widened for a second before returning back to nothing.

" _Now_ you can train us, and _I'll_ go first," Pietro sneered.

* * *

 **A/N:** I intend for this one to have eight chapters, so they'll get longer. Then again it'll up to you guys' feedback if I should continue. I already have the ending planned out, and not really surprisingly, it won't be a happy one for Wanda or Bucky. But I'm not going to get ahead of myself :) and thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter Two - Part 1

" _When knights were bold…"_

Wanda and Pietro were exhausted beyond belief after their first session. The Winter Soldier had no boundaries, unsurprisingly. He had made them show whatever type of battle movements and maneuvers they knew, but as the twins were only eighteen, what was initially an embarrassing moment for them switched into a mental and physical beat down. The Winter Soldier had schooled the twins, forcing them to watch the other being put into submission by the assassin. It would be some tough weeks ahead for them, but as debilitated as they were when they sunk into their beds, they knew that their strength was the only thing they could depend on to protect them – besides each other.

* * *

They trained together for a week, until von Strucker gave the order that Wanda and Pietro be taught separately. It would still be every day, but at different times: Wanda in the morning and Pietro in the evening. The Winter Soldier was given the other spare room in the hallway that housed only the twins; his next to Wanda's and directly opposite Pietro's. Doctor List had tried to counter that decision, exclaiming that it wasn't right to have Hydra's top assassin so close to his equally powerful patients, but von Strucker didn't budge.

With Wanda, it was apparent that she didn't necessarily have to lean on her durability. Her true prowess was all cerebral: telekinesis, hypnosis and magic. The Winter Soldier trained her in the most fundamental defense skills, but what made it even more difficult was that Wanda couldn't use her powers. Everything was strictly physical, hand-to-hand combat, and it often overwhelmed her. She never gave up, however. Every morning she rose up with one mindset: be better than you were yesterday. It eventually became easier for her not to use telekinesis, although whenever the Winter Soldier attacked her, she felt the burning pulse of her powers in her fingertips just waiting to be released. And then once Wanda realized that her muscles, specifically that of her previously wobbly noodle arms, had burgeoned, she had started wearing short-sleeved shirts and leggings. She had never imagined she'd had that kind of a body, and now that she had it, the prideful part of her wanted to show off as much as possible.

But she also couldn't deny that another, smaller, reason she wore tighter clothing was to, maybe, perhaps, possibly, catch the attention of the Winter Soldier. As they spent time training together, Wanda had found him extremely mesmerizing. She willingly chose to swipe under the rug the fact that he was a highly dangerous assassin – he was under Hydra control, like she and Pietro. Instead, she focused on his vigor, his quickness, his silence, his undisputed beauty. It was no secret that the Winter Soldier was a handsome man, despite his ragged appearance. Wanda loved how unkempt his locks were, how a strand or two would escape the back of his ears and hang by his sharp jawline.

And more than anything else, Wanda loved it when his stubble would accidently scratch against her skin. It sent shivers throughout her spine, and while it was a pleasurable feeling, it also left her scared. It scared her because she had never felt something like that. It scared her that his touch would draw out such intense sensitivity. She knew von Strucker would never, ever allow such a personal relationship between the "New Fist of Hydra" – as Wanda had once heard the Baron call him – and a teen work in progress.

But as the training sessions continued, Wanda feared it would take a matter of time before her emotions would win out. She had already somewhat flirted with him on several occasions, and in the beginning, the Winter Soldier hadn't known what to do about it. In time, though, she had been able to break past his stone cold demeanor and he'd make quips every now and then in response to her tiny advances.

"Concentrate, Miss Maximoff," he'd always say in a semi amusing tone.

A full month had gone by when Wanda gathered up the courage to take their professional relationship up a notch. She knew they would be in big trouble if caught, but at the moment, she could've cared less. All Wanda thought about was, as she laid on the mat after being flipped upside down, was how intense the Winter Soldier gazed into her eyes, his heavy breaths hitting her sweaty face and how her arm was starting to ache under his weight.

He raised one knee and released her arm, but before he could rise up, Wanda's instincts kicked in and she grabbed his collar, pulling him back down. Their faces were mere inches away and his face softened – he was confused, but he couldn't move either. He licked his lip, Wanda's eyes tracing it, and a sense of arousal formed near her core. She briefly glimpsed at the entryway and was relieved that the guards had stayed outside. Wanda then turned her undivided attention to the Winter Soldier, in awe of how beautiful he was, and she tugged at his collar.

It was Wanda's first kiss and even though she had no idea what to do, _he_ , on the other hand, did. He nipped at her lower lip and Wanda immediately opened her mouth, gasping when his tongue lapped with hers. His metal arm had wrapped itself around her leg, hitching it to his waist, and Wanda gripped at his uncombed hair. She moaned against his mouth, savoring his taste and –

Then he pushed her away.

"No," he growled, and stood up and left. Wanda remained on the mat, she was breathing hard and she was utterly lost. Two fingers rubbed at her sore lips. She went straight to her bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror. What have I done, she thought. She sniffled. A single tear slipped through her eyelashes and ran down her cheek.

* * *

Wanda barely got any sleep that night. She was afraid to close her eyes. What if the Winter Soldier had reported her misconduct? Hydra soldiers could burst in any moment and take her away to an even more secluded location. She might never see Pietro again. She mentally hit herself, how could she have been so stupid? No matter if he had responded – he was programmed to train them, nothing more. As soon as she and Pietro were deemed ready for on-the-field work, then she'd never see the Winter Soldier again. He'd be a ghost in her memory.

The following morning, Wanda went back to wearing a long-sleeved shirt and letting her brown mane untouched. She was a nervous wreck, but she wanted to hide any evidence of that from the Winter Soldier. She couldn't look weak in front of him, not after everything he had taught her so far.

Wanda exited her room and walked to the training center, an armed guard shadowing her. Once she was at the door, she briefly paused. Her hands were shaking at her sides. She felt herself sweating. She muttered profanity under her breath, swiftly shoved her hair behind her ears, and gulped before opening the doors.

The Winter Soldier was leaning against the wall, one leg raised and bent at the knee. His arms were crossed over his chest. He locked eyes with Wanda at once, and she embarrassingly looked away. She stood a few feet from him and focused her attention to the floor – she just couldn't make herself to face him.

A few seconds passed before he moved from the wall and slowly walked towards her. He was scrutinizing her, and Wanda hated it. She felt like a helpless deer about to be devoured by a hungry cheetah. Wanda was tight-lipped, opting to bite the tip of her tongue so as to not say anything stupid.

After doing a 360, the Winter Soldier finally stopped and stood in front of the small figure that was Wanda.

"Have you been taught the art of seduction?"

Wanda's head flipped up, her mouth slightly agape. What the hell?

But then she remembered. She was a woman. And as a woman, she'd use the power of youthful beauty during missions to undermine the enemy, and if necessary, bed the enemy as well to achieve the goal. Nevertheless, Wanda was left stunned by such a question, and then felt an onslaught of shame rush to her red cheeks. She was eighteen, and still a virgin. She'd had some teenage lovers, but never an actual boyfriend. So she certainly didn't know how to seduce any man… much less how to perform in between the sheets. But Wanda, not wanting to risk going through yet another intimate moment with the Winter Soldier, stuck her chin out a bit and nodded as she folded her arms around her chest.

The Winter Soldier's eyes unexpectedly turned almost playful at her answer. He then went to the backroom and brought out a chair, placing it in the middle of the center.

"Seduce me, Miss Maximoff." He said frankly.

Wanda raised an eyebrow to hide her surprise. "E-excuse me?"

His eyes narrowed, hint of a smirk threatening to break out. Wanda couldn't believe it.

"Pretend I'm a target. You need to seduce me in order to get something I have. Without that something, the mission is a bust. And you don't want to fail."

Wanda took a moment to consume what the Winter Soldier had told her, and after debating whether she should just give in and say she had no clue what to do – which she _really_ wanted to do – she slowly nodded again. She suddenly started feeling hot as his eyes never left hers – he was observing her movements. Wanda dropped her arms to her side and walked towards him. She stopped less than a foot in front of him and looking down at him, his face not-so blank anymore, Wanda decided that instead of letting her brain tell her what to do, she'd follow the reactions of her body. From what she knew – or rather, guessed – seduction was about delivering what the body was feeling at that instant. It didn't matter what the person physically looked like – all she needed to do was pleasure that person, and whilst doing that, to somehow pleasure herself.

Using her knees, she spread the Winter Soldier's legs and stood between them for a minute. His eye level was at her clothed navel and he didn't bother to raise his head. Wanda then slowly placed each leg on the sides of the chair and lowered herself until she sat on top of him. Blue eyes piercing blue eyes. She then reached for his face, pausing to wait if he'd stop her, but when he remained indifferent, Wanda moved his dark curtain of hair from his delicate face. She kept his gaze and as one of her fingers lingered on his ear, a flicker of radiant energy shocked him.

The smallest sound of a gasp escaped from the Winter Soldier's mouth. He stared at her with, dare she say, amazement, but it was there for only a second, as the next Wanda had grabbed hold of the back of his neck and kissed him. She inserted her tongue because honestly, she didn't know what else to do. As soon as she did, however, his arms snaked around her waist and Wanda instinctively leaned even more into him. An impromptu surge of lust flooded Wanda's body and she responded by parting her lips from his to mark kisses around his jaw and then his neck. Her bum touched back on his thighs and she nearly moaned when she felt his hardness.

Wanda ran her hand on his cybernetic arm, loving how cool it felt. She returned to his mouth and sensing that she had passed the test, bit at his lower lip as she pulled away. Wanda gently wiped her reddened lips and stared at the Winter Soldier.

"How was that?"

"Uhm… that was fine, Miss Maximoff." The Winter Soldier stammered, which surprised even him. He cleared his throat before continuing, "Needs a little more work, but it's fine. For now. You may go, we're done for the day."

Wanda waited a second, thinking about actually staying on his lap. But then she nodded, and stole another glance at his lips before awkwardly getting off of him and hastily left the room.

 **A/N:** Chapter was a little too long for my taste which is why I split it into two.


	3. Chapter Two - Part 2

The twins were sitting in the cafeteria, silently munching on their food. After Wanda's practice, Doctor List had told them that they were to report to the training center once their lunch break was over. So the two remained in their cells, not knowing exactly what to do, and then went to go eat. Neither had really spoken to one another since the separate training times, but then again they didn't know what to talk about other than training.

Pietro took another mouthful of his double cheeseburger.

"You need to stop biting your lips so much."

Wanda looked up from her salad bowl. "What?"

He pointed at her with a greasy finger. "Your lips. They're all red and plump."

Wanda's face narrowed, her hand rising to rub her lips. They had kissed no more than three hours earlier, and her lips were still a bit chubby. She nearly smiled as she reminisced about that when she suddenly felt Pietro peering at her.

"Oh. Yeah, I know. Bad habit," she shrugged.

Pietro seemed like he wanted to say something more about the matter, but he didn't and instead followed up with, "So how's it been going with you and tin man?"

Wanda lightly crunched on her lettuce, ignoring the poke. "Good. What about you?"

"Well, other than him being a complete _dick_ –"

She dropped her fork and turned serious. "Pietro."

He halfway raised his arms in surrender, a smirk forming on his lips. "I was just gonna say that he's actually been helpful. He needs to seriously lighten his attitude, but other than that, tin man is a very good combat teacher."

"Well, we're getting taught by the best," Wanda murmured.

Pietro resumed to eating his burger. In between bites, he said, "I wonder how he got that metal arm."

Wanda found herself asking the same thing. It was hard to see through his layers of clothing, but it seemed that the Winter Soldier's left metal arm stretched from at least his shoulder blade all the way to his fingers.

"Me too," she responded.

"Do you think he can take it off? Be kinda tough to sleep with that thing, right?"

Wanda shrugged, though her curiosity was growing. "I don't know. I don't think he can."

Pietro hummed, took another huge chunk of his burger, and not caring that his mouth was full, joked, "Well, at least with that metal arm he can jack off even more faster."

Wanda choked on her water. "Pietro!" she exclaimed.

He swallowed and started cleaning his hands with napkins. "What? I'm just sayin'. Poor guy looks like he hasn't had a decent lay in years."

Wanda covered her ears, her cheeks deepening a shade of pink as she giggled. "Oh, Pietro, stop!" If only her dear brother knew what had transpired earlier that morning.

* * *

The twins had been standing there for a few minutes. Baron von Strucker and Doctor List were conversing quietly behind them, providing some source of sound as the large room was uncomfortably quiet. Doctor List's voice grew more irritable by each passing second, but he ceased talking once the double doors opened and two men walked in.

They were both tall, but one was much older than the other. The elderly man, appearing to be in his 70s, had a rather wrinkly face with blue eyes and light red hair. Wanda assumed he must have been quite attractive in his heyday. The younger, much more muscular man had dark hair and a tanned complexion.

The Baron shoved Doctor List aside and walked up the elder.

"Mr. Pierce, thank you for coming," he said.

"How could I not? After hearing the Asset's reports, I couldn't miss this for the world," he answered back, though his attention was set on the twins. Wanda internally flinched.

von Strucker smiled and followed Pierce's gaze. His eyes flickered between the twins. "Yes. They're marvelous, aren't they? Wanda and Pietro, this is Alexander Pierce. He's come all the way from our headquarters in America to see your progression in combat training."

Pierce took a few strides towards the twins. "We took a huge risk in letting those experiments happen, but if you two prove yourself useful, then there is no reason that, with your help, Hydra cannot make this planet just a bit better to live in it."

Before Wanda or Pietro could fully register his reason, he turned around to the man behind him and flicked his fingers. "Rumlow, bring the Asset." The man obeyed and disappeared through the doors.

Meanwhile von Strucker made the twins focus on him. "This is it," he spoke lowly. "Everything the Winter Soldier has taught you, show it to Mr. Pierce. Don't hold back. Understood?"

Wanda and Pietro nodded absentmindedly. The Baron pushed them back towards the wall and joined Pierce and Doctor List across the room.

"Oh my God," Wanda gasped. She was nervous. She was scared, terrified. She suddenly had trouble remembering her fighting techniques. She felt her mind clouding.

Her brother took her hands into his. "Hey. It will be okay. You will be okay. Just forget that they're here. It's just you and tin man."

Wanda shook her head. She couldn't do it. She was never good at being under pressure. She opened her mouth to tell Pietro that she was going to be sick, but then the doors opened once again and in walked Rumlow with the Winter Soldier. Wanda's heart skipped. His eyes surveyed the room and landed on Wanda for a moment, and then stared at the floor.

"Mr. Maximoff, why don't you go first?" Pierce said calmly as the three men sat down.

Pietro took in his sister one last time, and then nodded. He positioned himself across the Winter Soldier, whose face showed no slither of emotion. Rumlow remained by the entryway. Though Pietro was an inch or two taller than the Winter Soldier, he still felt tiny opposite of him. He wasn't allowed to use his powers, so this round would obviously go to the more experienced Winter Soldier. He just hoped it wouldn't be a total knockout.

For the next five minutes, Wanda was in fear for her brother. They fought brutally and quickly, punches and kicks landing left and right. Pietro was using attacking methods that Wanda had never seen before. Even though they were beneficial for Pietro in hurting the Winter Soldier, it certainly didn't slow down the assassin. When the Winter Soldier finally submitted Pietro into the ground, Pierce got up, a wide grin on his face, and clapped. Wanda was confused, as Pietro had lost and was left with a bloody nose.

"Good job, son! That was excellent! Just imagine him when he uses his super speed. Our enemies won't even see him coming." Pierce gleamed.

Pietro softly rose up and wiped his nose on his sleeve as he trudged to his sister. She grabbed him and tilted his brother's chin upwards so she could examine the damage on his nose and the rest of his face. There were already distinct purple blotches forming on his forehead and below one eye, as well as a cut across his cheek.

"He hurt you. Badly," she pointed out.

Pietro chuckled. "He's just lucky I didn't use my powers on him."

Wanda couldn't help but smile a bit at that. She caught the Winter Soldier studying them. She then realized it was her turn. Oh no, she was now really going to throw up.

"Alright, Miss Maximoff, you're next." Pierce stated.

She gripped Pietro, not caring if she was hurting him. She was scared shitless. Not so much of being beaten, but that she'd be viewed as weak and useless. So much so that they could tear her away from her brother. Wanda would rather die than be separated from her twin, but she prayed it wouldn't come down to that. Which is why she needed to demonstrate her strength. They already knew that with her powers, she could defeat all of them in a heartbeat. But to even more stronger, Wanda had to prove her physicality. She knew that, but she doubted whether she'd succeed.

She felt Pietro nudge her, and she came back to her senses. He angled his head to the Winter Soldier, and she gulped. Inhaling and exhaling as she used to do as a child whenever she was speaking in front of her classmates, she stepped forward. Wanda was facing towards the three men, but kept her eye contact strictly with the Winter Soldier. He towered over her, but then Wanda remembered that he had told her there were certain advantages of being short. She quickly went over the maneuvers in her head. Once she felt herself a tad ready, Wanda gestured with her head and she slightly awakened her powers so her eyes would burn a bright dark red. She wanted the men to see, to remind them that even though she'd lose to the Winter Soldier, she still had the ability to do other things. The Winter Soldier briefly stiffened at the sight of her red eyes, but pushed whatever he was feeling away and aimed at Wanda.

Wanda moved to hit his chest, but he quickly evaded her and she turned on her heel to meet his fist slamming on the bridge of her nose. Wanda stuttered backwards, the pain so great that she saw nothing but white for a couple of seconds. She regained her position, huffed in anger, and threw another punch. She'd miss more than half of her punches in the next four minutes, but what seemed like an eternity. The Winter Soldier's elusiveness was to put on display due to Wanda's slow reflexes, but she managed to have a few licks, especially when she flipped onto his shoulders and attempted to strangle him. The possible smell of victory lasted a second, because in the next, he grabbed her thighs and slammed her to the floor. His metal hand fastened around her skinny neck and she panicked, but then realized that she could still breathe because he hadn't actually put any force on his grip. That is when Pierce ended the fight.

"Well done, Miss Maximoff! Not as sharp as I'd thought, but we can work on that." Pierce said. He faced von Strucker and the two shook hands. "Quite a weapon you've assembled here, Wolfgang. Or should I say weapons?"

von Strucker grinned, not caring for Doctor List's cautious look. "Oh, thank you, Alexander. I know it's been a long time coming, but we finally have our next generations of assets."

Pierce observed the battered twins, the Winter Soldier a few feet away. "Yes, we certainly do."

* * *

von Strucker, Pierce and Doctor List came to an agreement that the twins were ready to use their powers in training. And because their expectations had been met (and exceeded), the Winter Soldier would continue to be their teacher. The twins were released and treated for their injuries by Doctor List. Since Pietro had super healing, his body and face barely ached after a few hours. Wanda, on the other hand, had suffered a bruised rib, several inflammations to her arms and legs, and a bruised face. She would heal much slower than Pietro, and it was one of those rare times that Wanda wished she could switch powers with her brother. She initially had trouble sleeping that night, but once she focused on a certain pair of blue eyes and long dark brown hair, Wanda faded into a much needed rest.

The Winter Soldier had less luck. He slept not a single wink. While the twins were in the infirmary, he had been brought to the showers. He settled under the cold water and tried to remain placid, but every time he wished to clear his mind, his thoughts wandered back to one little Sokovian brunette.

Miss Maximoff.

 _Wanda_.

He had no idea what was wrong with him. He shouldn't be feeling _anything_ whatsoever for her. She's just some project of Hydra's. Other than the possibility that she would join him on future missions. She was practically nothing. That is how he should view her as. That is how he has been programmed to be doing.

But he didn't. That was the problem. The tug in the pit on his stomach when she was in the same room. How he actually felt his cheeks burn a smidge when he'd catch her staring at him. His sudden increased worry when he thought he had hurt her during training. All this emotion left him dumbfounded because he had never felt them. He didn't know what to do about it, even though he very well knew that he couldn't actually pursue anything with her. He was an assassin; he had accepted that fate long time ago. But despite all the discipline and instructions he'd receive over the years, he wasn't taught on how to deal with… what was this? Human attraction? Affection? Fondness? He figured Hydra wouldn't need to go down that road given his occupation, but still.

The Winter Soldier fancied a girl and he was fucking clueless.

Not only did he like her, but he held some resentment for her too.

Maybe if she hadn't kissed him, he wouldn't be feeling this way. She hadn't made much of an impression until then, and after the kiss all that he could think about is her. Out of nowhere, she became the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He'd probably met other ones before, probably even more prettier, but he couldn't remember. It's not that he hadn't realized her beauty when they first met – he had – but that damn kiss threw him off. Now, he thought of her all the time. Hell, he even _dreamed_ of her. The last time he had a dream was never, because he couldn't remember a time when he did.

And then there was her touch.

She was softest thing he had ever laid hands on. She had put some weight in the past month, but she was still so fragile. She was powerful, no doubt about that, but when she had done the seduction exercise – something that he came up with; neither von Strucker or Doctor List had told him to do such a thing – the feeling of having her in his arms was intoxicating. For the second time with her, he had lost control. So much so that _she_ pulled away, not him. He could only gaze at her green eyes and think of how damn supple lips she had.

He also remembered something weird happening down in his pants, but he couldn't deny that he _really_ liked it.

He was so screwed.

* * *

Wanda sat cross-legged on her bed, humming an old Sokovian lullaby as she brushed her damp hair. The Baron had given the twins the next two days off from training, and so Wanda had spent much of the time alone in her room looking over maps of different countries. She was told that she needed to memorize them, but no reason as to why. Wanda figured that her days of being stuck in the facility were numbered, that she'd finally be let outside, and so she made sure to study the maps. She had already heard of places like the United States and Great Britain. Even though they'd likely be sent there to kill someone against Hydra, Wanda preferred to focus on the idea of visiting a famous city.

The lights suddenly turned off. Time to sleep.

Wanda let out an annoyed huff and placed the brush on her bedside table. She laid back on her bed and turned towards the little rectangular window on the wall. The moon always shone on her, giving her just enough lighting in the dark room. She could see little white dots falling, and a smile crept up.

It was snowing.

Ever since she was a little girl, Wanda loved the snow. It made up for the cold, which she hated. If she didn't have to go outside, she didn't. Except when it snowed. She could never get enough of making snow angels and sticking out her tongue to catch snowflakes. Her love for the weather came in part of because it correlated with Christmas. It was by far happiest time for her family every year. They were all together and safe. Nothing could tear them apart.

Wanda blinked away a tear and sighed.

She could never experience that again. Her parents were dead. She had signed her life away the second she volunteered for Hydra. No more family-filled Christmases. No more anything. She was nothing.

 _Click_.

Wanda jumped at the sound of the door open and close in swift movement. Her heart raced and she panicked, grabbing at her bedsheets and covering her whole body. Her eyes squinted, but it was too dark to see the intruder except its shadow.

Before she could ask who it was, the person beat her to it. "Miss Maximoff."

Her eyebrows rose sky high. Her cheeks heated. No. Way.

" _S-soldat_?" she asked, not bothering not hide her amazed reaction.

She heard him slightly shuffle, and she took it as acknowledgement. How in the hell did he manage to sneak in?

"Miss Maximoff," he repeated.

She sat up straighter, tossing the covers to the side. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Yes?"

He finally stepped forward and stopped in front of the window where the moonlight hit him, revealing it was indeed the Winter Soldier. Except that he didn't look like the Winter Soldier, at least not the one Wanda was used to. He was clad in a simple white t-shirt, grey sweatpants and socks. His hair was positioned behind the ears, with some smaller strands hanging by his face. Wanda unconsciously looked him up and down, still not believing that he was actually in her room at night, and then embarrassingly looked down at her fingers.

She pinched herself and forced herself to meet his gaze.

Yup, this was real.

And awkward.

But my God, was he handsome as ever. Take out his metal arm and he actually appeared like a normal person.

He opened his mouth, but the room remained quiet. She saw his brows creasing, his jaw locking as his mouth closed and then reopened.

"Why are you making me feel this way?" He sounded like a sad little boy asking why he was getting punished.

Wanda's head cocked to the side. "What do you mean?"

His hands rolled into fists. Wanda noticed and she tensed.

"If anyone finds out what I'm feeling or what my thoughts are, they're –" he abruptly stopped, his eyes shutting immediately. "This need to stop."

She licked her lips and carefully thought her next words. "What if I don't want it to stop… Nobody has to know," she added.

He had an expression on his face that made her think he thought she was a lunatic, but then he actually softened. He gestured with his hand towards a spot in the bed, and Wanda nodded, scooting away until she was flat against the cold wall. He slowly took a seat and his shoulders shrugged, followed by a low sigh. She realized how much he was beating himself over this. Her hands itched to run them over his broad shoulders, to soothe him.

"Someone will know eventually," he said in a defeated voice.

Wanda pursed her lips. "Not if we're careful."

He turned to her, sadness covering every facet of his beautiful face, and shook his head. "I can't take that risk."

Wanda couldn't take it any longer. The distance between them, it was unbearable. She shot up from the wall and leaned into him, taking his chilly hands into her warm ones. His eyes had momentarily looked down to her chest; she was wearing a low V-neck sweater. A rush of heat came into both their cheeks. Her face was merely a few inches from him. He felt her breathing on his chin and a shiver ran up and down his spine. The Winter Soldier was wide-eyed. He knew he had to pull away, but once he connected with those alluring green eyes, he welcomed in her touch.

"Nothing will happen to us. You're too important to them. They won't hurt me, they need me because of my abilities," she declared although she herself didn't truly believe it.

He sensed that and for the first time since his arrival, a tiny smile formed. She clearly didn't know what she was saying. She had no clue as to what Hydra was capable of. She was terribly, perhaps tragically, naïve, and that made him uneasy. But he appreciated her hope and determination. He hadn't been around a person like that in God knows how many years.

He also wanted to live this moment forever, to hold her and never let go, but it couldn't. "I need to go," he said, not meeting her eyes.

Wanda bit her lip and gave a single nod. She pulled away, hating the sudden cold that rolled around her empty hands. He sat there for a second longer, thinking of saying something else before ultimately deciding not to, and stood up.

"Miss Maximoff,"

To her surprise, she giggled. "Please, call me Wanda."

He gave her another ghost of a smile and silently retreated back to his own room.


	4. Chapter Three

" _And ladies weren't particular…"_

The Baron was sitting behind his leather top tanker desk, scribbling off his signature on paper after paper so that material could be sent to the facility. He wanted to finish this task before the meeting with Alexander Pierce, but quickly found himself annoyed by someone fidgeting a couple feet across from him.

He raised his head and shot daggers at white-haired Doctor List.

"Can you stop that?" he scolded. "It's distracting."

Doctor List held his portfolio firm to his chest and inclined towards von Strucker. In a low voice, he said "I know what you're going to ask Pierce, Wolfgang, I know and it's a really bad idea. It's too soon –"

von Strucker slammed his pen down and interrupted him. "Enough, old man! What I do with the twins is _none_ of your concern. You're here to make sure they're alive; nothing more, nothing less."

"But –"

He was silenced by the Baron sticking up his hand. "But nothing. Now sit still and don't say a word."

Doctor List just shook his head in discontent. No matter how many times he had talked to the Baron about the twins and how they were vastly different from the Winter Soldier, which meant other various ways to care for them, he wouldn't listen. He wanted to rush into the process and that simply couldn't be done, much less with a gifted person like Wanda. There was the real possibility that she could resist the process because of her mind manipulative powers. She, and to a lesser case, Pietro, were nowhere near like the Winter Soldier when he underwent the process in the 1940s. And they had to be treated as such.

The doctor wished to continue to dissuade him, but then there were two loud knocks. In walked Alexander Pierce, who was followed by Agent Brock Rumlow. List observed the two men acknowledge each other. From his profile, even with old age, Pierce still reminded List of a certain captain. It was an old open secret within Hydra that Pierce had been specifically chosen as the Winter Soldier's handler because of his physical resemblance to Steve Rogers. List thought it was twistingly ironic that they chose someone who looked like the one person Hydra wanted the Winter Soldier to forget about completely. Not that Pierce was incapable of doing the job, but it just unknowingly provided more torture to the Winter Soldier and even Doctor List deemed that to be barbaric.

Pierce gave a curt nod to Doctor List before taking a seat. List only stared on. Rumlow stayed by the door.

"I like what you've done with the place, Wolfgang," Pierce commented. "Definitely an improvement since a few years back."

von Strucker appeared to be holding back on smiling like a little kid. "Oh yes, very much. It was imperative to bring necessary changes here, being it one of most important facilities in Europe."

"Especially now that we have those twins," Pierce raised an eyebrow and clasped his hands together on his lap. "You don't know how long I've waited for this moment. When we can finally depend on something other than the Asset."

That last sentence made Doctor List call to mind one of Hydra's failed programs in Siberia. He involuntarily gulped rather loudly, and von Strucker briefly glared at him before returning his attention to Pierce.

"About the twins," the Baron said. "I think we've reached the time to begin the cleansing."

Pierce was quiet for a few seconds, and then asked, "Don't you think it's a little bit too soon for that?"

At last, someone with common sense, Doctor List thought.

von Strucker was confused by that question; he had been under the impression that Pierce would want to do it immediately due to the Avengers' recent actions. "No, I do not. You saw them yesterday, how they fought with the Asset. Now that they're going to be trained with their abilities, it's an ideal time to start the process."

"Hmm," Pierce murmured. He crossed one leg over the other. "What does your doctor think?"

List's eyes bobbed up as Pierce gestured towards him. von Strucker inhaled sharply and then slowly faced Doctor List; clearly he was irritated that Pierce had given him an opportunity to speak against him.

"Umm…" the doctor fumbled over his words. He hadn't expected to say anything during this meeting. "Well… I disagree with the Baron." His eyes instinctively wavered to von Strucker, who was watching on icily. "It's been only three months since the twins underwent experimentation and about two months since the Asset started training them. My team and I still haven't discovered the full potency of the twins, so we don't want to jeopardize it by cleansing them while they're still learning."

"I see. And when do you suppose the process start?"

Doctor List realized that he had been fiercely grabbing his portfolio to his chest all this time and awkwardly put it down, rubbing a sweaty hand behind his neck. "Until I know all the dynamics of each of the twins' powers. Then the process is a go."

"A date, doctor," Pierce pressed on.

He went over his calculations in his head. "Uhh… if everything goes well with their power training, then… by the end of this month."

Pierce nodded in approval and said to von Strucker, "He's right – we cannot rush them into it. We have to know the full extent of their abilities so we can neutralize them. Sometimes I forget they're not like the Asset," he added, though more to himself.

von Strucker, leaning back in his chair with a glum demeanor, asserted, "They're going to be greater than the Asset."

"Perhaps," Pierce replied with a sly grin.

Doctor List pondered whether the Winter Soldier knew he was training his replacements. They were living in an advanced technological age that was getting filled with people who possessed enhanced powers. It would take more than a man injected with the super serum and a cybernetic arm for Hydra to come out on top.

* * *

The Winter Soldier was brought to one of the underground quarters of the facility. His wrists and ankles were strapped to an iron-made chair. Agents had barged into his room just a few hours after his secret encounter with Wanda. For a minute, he thought he had been busted and was going to have his brain wiped, but then he saw the chair and nothing else attached to it. Which meant that Wanda was safe. At the moment, anyways.

Pierce walked from behind the shadows of the shady area. The Winter Soldier became strained under the cufflinks.

"I'm returning to the United States," Pierce established. "You will stay here and carry on with your mission. Agent Rumlow is the person you report to from now on. Understood?"

The Winter Soldier consented silently.

"Don't go easy on the twins," he added. "They're being built for the same purpose you've been serving. They _cannot_ be weak. If they fail, _you_ fail, and that will not bode well for the three of you."

* * *

Wanda focused on the ten chairs levitating in front of her. Red mist circle around them in the air. She slowly raised them until they were touching the ceiling, and then brought them back down with ease.

"That was good," the Winter Soldier said, though not sounding as impressed as Wanda wanted.

"Thanks," she replied proudly. "It's a bit hard at first, but the more I do it, the less difficult it becomes."

He raised a brow. "Even with heavy objects?"

She folded her arms over her chest and shrugged. "I think so."

He peered at her in a way that no man had done before, and that sent tremors throughout her body. He was deep in thought, but just as quick as he had looked almost mischievous, his blank façade returned and he broadened his shoulders.

"Lift me."

Wanda's arms dropped. "What?"

"You heard me," he deadpanned. "Pick me up."

She felt herself squirm at his demand. "Why would I do that?"

"During missions you won't be throwing off chairs or weights or tables. You will need to push off people, no matter how big or small they are."

He had a point, but Wanda was still apprehensive. It had never even crossed her head about the possibility of actually picking up a person and just throw them across the room like some rag doll. But it made sense so she nodded and raised her arms, that dark red vapor slithering out of her fingertips. She encompassed it around the Winter Soldier and gritted her teeth. She tried moving her hands upwards to life him, but she couldn't. He was far too massive. She maintained that stance until little beads of sweat formed on her forehead and she sighed as she dropped her arms and the mist disappeared. Defeated, she turned her back on him.

The Winter Soldier's face softened at her failure and said, "Try again. You command your telekinesis, not the other way around."

Wanda considered his words. He was right. Only she was in control of her powers. And she needed them to do what she wanted. It would take time, but it had to be done. She had to find methods to protect herself, and this certainly was one tactic that can benefit her greatly. She straightened her back and faced him again. She closed her eyes and inhaled. She felt energy rushing through her veins, all the way to her fingers. It made them twitch and once she believed she had her mind cleared and focused on the task at hand, she opened her suddenly red-filled irises and pushed out the energy towards the Winter Soldier. The mist hit him, which knocked him backwards as he briefly stopped touching the floor and instead levitated. As soon as it happened, he came down quickly and Wanda lowered her arms.

The Winter Soldier stood a bit off balance, but in wonder nonetheless. Pietro might have been exciting to watch as he ran at lightning speed, but Wanda was truly something else entirely.

* * *

"You can do it, Wanda. I'll be right here to catch you if you fall."

Wanda still shook her head. There were some fears in this world that she just couldn't overcome, and her fear of heights was one of them. It was one thing to be standing off a ledge or looking down from a tree – they were immovable objects; the only one in action was her. Levitation required no one but her to move through the air. She had to trust herself to simulate flight and remain there. How could she do that when all she'd do is worry about coming down rather than staying up?

"Just raise yourself up a bit. To see if you even can," he said in a delicate tone.

Wanda bit her lower lip in frustration. He was really going to make her do it. "I won't be able to concentrate if I'm going to have the jitters," she complained.

The Winter Soldier sighed and he placed his hands at the top of each of her shoulders. "Any phobia you have, you need to get over it. You cannot go into the field hiding something that can compromise you."

His touch sent a wave of calm over her. She realized that she had been acting like a child and mentally chided herself for such a behavior. He was only trying to help – it was actually his job to train her and the last thing he wanted was to deal with her histrionics.

"Okay," she mumbled. "Let me try."

He stepped back. Wanda kept her head down as she attempted to push away that childhood accident that had triggered her fear of heights in the first place. She gulped once her brain had locked that memory away and she thought of nothing else at the moment. She stretched her fingers on her side and reveled in the burst of psionic energy that encapsulated her entire body. It ran to the outermost tips of her hands. She had to build up a ton of energy too, to be able to lift herself off, and even though it took vigor, it wasn't completely out of her reach.

But then without warning, blasts of red psionic hex energy shot out from her palms and Wanda opened her eyes to become aware that she was no longer on the ground. She was already mid-air; her legs flailing in distress as she looked down and saw consternation on the Winter Soldier's face. She yelled and just couldn't maintain a straight composure. He was walking backwards while Wanda flew forward. She came back crashing down onto the Winter Soldier, his arms opening wide to grab her before she fell to the hardened floor. He hugged her once he got a hold of Wanda, and she rested her chin on his shoulder, gasps of air exhaling out of her chest.

"That wasn't so bad," he assuaged.

Wanda rolled her eyes but didn't let go of her grip on his back. "That was horrible."

He chuckled lightly and his release of her caused Wanda to slide down his chest until her feet finally touched ground. She noticed that his hands hadn't been displaced from the hollows of her waist. She was so tiny compared to him, but Wanda could still see everything she needed in the depth of his blue eyes. They simply gazed at each other, not really understand what was occurring, other than the fact that neither wanted to separate. Wanda slowly rose onto her tip toes and was craning her neck to side when he cleared his throat. It broke out of her reverie and she gave him a shy smile.

* * *

Wanda was in the midst of falling asleep when she heard the low rumble of her metal door unlatch. She immediately became startled and her defenses were put up, but then realization hit her. She had asked him to come into her room if he could. And by the sound of it, he had found a way to sneak in again. And she had actually forgotten. So she got scared for nothing. What an idiot she could be sometimes.

" _Soldat_ ," Wanda said as she sat on her bed. She made an effort to smooth out her long hair and run her hands on her face to wipe off any restlessness.

The Winter Soldier pursed his lips, causing his forehead to crease. "I've woken you up."

How he was able to notice that in the dark room, she had no idea.

"No, no, you haven't," she hurriedly responded and swallowing back a yawn. "Please sit."

He retained a guarded posture even when he took a seat on the edge of the bed. The moonlight didn't stretch enough to wear he was sat; she could only make his human arm sticking out from his plain white t-shirt. The muscles in his forearm ripened as he crossed his arms over his chest. She wanted to scoot closer to him, but something told her that she was better off with the distance between them.

"We only have a few minutes," he started. "Why did you want me to come?"

Thank goodness it was too dark for him to see her blush. "I just wanted to talk."

"Don't we do that during practice?"

Wanda's head dipped. She paid attention to her hands. "Yes… I don't know, I just… In here we're completely alone."

A few seconds passed by before he spoke up. "You did extremely good today."

Wanda was taken aback. "But I was only in the air for five seconds."

He shrugged. "To see all that power come out of you and lift you up… that was something."

At this, Wanda smiled and against her better judgment, shifted very slightly towards him. When he stayed still, she could at last see the outline of his jaw and his dark brown locks tucked behind his ears. He was watching her, like he always did.

She was about to open her mouth when he asked, "Why are you afraid of heights?"

"Oh. That," she giggled shakenly.

She rubbed her arms and seeing her discomfort, he said, "You don't have to tell –"

"No, it's fine," she interjected. One slow inhale as she remembered the event that was to blame for her phobia. "I used to love climbing trees as a little girl. There was this huge tree in the woods behind our house and I was scared to climb it. Pietro wasn't, and he never ceased to tease me about it.

"So one day I did climb it just to shut him up, but when I looked down and saw far up I was, I started crying. Our parents were at work so it was only Pietro home that day. He was too frightened about going up to get me and possibly getting stuck himself, so all he did was yell at me to come down. I knew that was the only way so I began my descent, but my eyes were filled with tears and I could barely see anything. I try to step down on a branch, but it turned out there was no branch and I stepped into nothing. My hands slipped and I fell.

"I landed on my ankles and then my back. Both of my ankles broke upon impact. My spine was bruised but it wasn't serious. After that, I never climbed a tree. Or anything, for that matter. When we went on family vacations, we always took the train. Never a plane. I could never really get over it."

Wanda saw the Winter Soldier giving her a sincere expression and she instinctively looked at his lips. His stubble was the same as it was the first day he came to the research facility. The silence surrounding them was growing too much for her, which meant that it was probably time for him to go.

Then something unexpected happened. His human hand rested upon hers and gave it a light squeeze.

"I'll always catch you, Wanda," he disclosed in a hush voice.

Her heart warmed, and she could look on in awe.

* * *

She thrust the barrier of energy off of her body with every ounce of her power and though she felt like she was about to faint, she continued to shove it until it started to form the shield that she was looking for. The red shield took its structure in front of her, blocking out the Winter Soldier who was being mesmerized by the barrier.

Wanda breathed out a sigh, and then her legs gave out. The shield dissipated. He instantly came to her rescue and grabbed her as she fell to the floor. She laid in his arms, trying to regain her senses. He whisked away some strands that had escaped from her ponytail, and in the process, he touched her temple. He considered leaving his human hand on her cheek because of how he longed to have physical contact with her, but then he pulled it away and instead placed it on her elbow.

"Don't make me do that again," Wanda lamented.

He gave her a half-smile. "One more time, and then we're finished for the day."

Wanda groaned as she got up and dusted herself off. She was beyond exhausted. Out of all the practices she'd done so far, projecting her energy field was by far the most strenuous one to master. It involved a whole lot of focusing on her inner strength, but when she had someone as the Winter Soldier observing her the entire time, it turned into an issue. She didn't know exactly why that was the case, but she suspected it was due to her not seeing him as a threat. If she were to ever create her energy field, it would without a doubt materialize when she was in danger.

"Wanda."

She raised her head and was appalled to find the Winter Soldier pointing a gun straight at her chest. Confusion and fear crept in. "W-what are you doing?"

His face was unreadable. "I'm going to shoot you. If you don't shield yourself, you're dead."

Her mouth dropped, but before she could further ask what he meant, he fired. The red energy field flew out of her without the need to use her hands. It just came out of her body and into the incoming barrage of bullets that the Winter Soldier's gun released. She walked sideways as he continued to shoot and though she was besieged with terror that one of those bullets was going to hit her, none did. In fact, nothing hit her shield.

The Winter Soldier lowered his arm and he smirked. "I knew you could do it."

Wanda discarded her shield and angrily stared at her trainer. "Blanks?"

His neck cocked to the side and scoffed, "Of course. I wouldn't actually shoot you."

* * *

Wanda viewed her brother in disgust. She loved food as much as the next person, but the way Pietro ate his food… it was as if he was having his last supper.

"You're such a pig," she scowled.

He didn't answer her; instead, he opted to keep stuffing his mouth with a roll of bread.

Wanda munched on her lettuce. "How can you train with a full belly?"

"I have very, _very_ high metabolism," he said matter of factly.

Right. Another side effect of his super speed. "Well, aren't you lucky?" she quipped.

Some minutes went by without a word from either twin. Wanda observed the cafeteria, which was crawling with Hydra agents. They sat in the innermost corner of the large area, and nobody ever dared approached them. She bit her lip, wondering why the Winter Soldier was never brought to the cafeteria. She supposed he wouldn't incite any problems; as far as she knew, he was rather a decent person when he wasn't being sent to assassinate someone.

Wanda was torn from her trance by Pietro's voice.

"Tin man told me that you've been improving," he said.

Her insides turned into jelly and she couldn't help but blush. "He said that?"

"Yeah," he replied without noticing a change in his sister's demeanor. "And it's been so much fun putting him down on his ass."

Wanda frowned. "Don't be so hard on him. We're much stronger than him."

Pietro stared at her and shrugged. "Who cares? We can't be holding back, you know that, right? He certainly isn't, so why should we?"

Because I care about him, she wanted to say. But she couldn't risk anyone knowing, including her brother. No one could know.

She elbowed her plate away as she folded her arms over her chest and leaned into the table. "I know that. I'm just saying that he's just as important as us so he can't be too hurt."

Pietro waved a dismissed hand at her. "I'm not going to kill him, Wand. It's almost possible to draw blood on him anyways."

She simply tsked at him and got up to throw away her tray. Pietro went back to eating his mashed potatoes and green beans with no care in the world.

* * *

They were sitting crisscrossed on the black mat in the middle of the training center. Wanda's hair was pulled back into a messy bun and she was covered in sweat. They had been sparring for the past half hour with her using levitation and energy field to protect herself against his punches and kicks. The next thirty minutes would be used for a very imperative part of her powers: telepathy. Though she could distant hear the thoughts of people around her, Wanda could only clearly listen to her brother's thoughts. It took more mental clout to be able to look into the minds of everyone else.

"Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and block out any noise. Empty your head and focus on your target: me."

A tentative Wanda raised a brow. "Are you sure?"

The Winter Soldier returned a coy smile. "It's alright."

She nodded once and did as she was told. She didn't know what to expect to see in his mind. The last time she did, she had seen nothing but their interaction. He had no previous thoughts, which alarmed Wanda of what Hydra could have done to him but she shoved that worry aside for the moment. She swallowed and sighed, putting herself at ease. Her muscles relaxed and her spine straightened. She could hear nothing except the faraway chitter-chatter of agents walking about. Her face remained neutral, her body at a complete standstill.

 _Concentrate._

She was concentrating. She tightened her lips together and placed the palms of her hands flat on her knees.

 _Wanda._

 _Can you hear me?_

She recognized the Winter Soldier's voice. She could actually hear his voice. And then she saw… herself? Yup, she was looking at herself. She slightly gasped, and saw her mouth moving at the exact same time.

She was inside his mind. She could hear every single thought going on as well as seeing through his own eyes. Wanda was so enraptured by the experience that she unknowingly continued to seek deeper into his head. She wanted to see how far she could go. Maybe she'd find a memory before his arrival.

 _Wanda…_

 _What are you doing?_

It was desolate. Prior to his arrival, his mind was devoid. There was a wall and she couldn't get through. She tried to push through it, but it wouldn't budge. It was acting as if it was inaccessible, like she didn't need to bother it. But Wanda was stubborn, and for some odd reason, she just had to know why he had no recollection preceding him coming to the research base. She refused to stop pushing until she heard an audible crack, followed by one single piercing scream. Not expecting that, Wanda paused. The scream was male. And it broke her heart into a million pieces. It was the scream of someone tortured.

"Wanda? Stop it!"

Her eyes shot open to the feeling of being shaken. She jerked backwards as she realized that the Winter Soldier had grabbed her shoulders and rattled her out of his brain. He immediately recoiled and stood up, his face twisted into a somber image.

"You shouldn't have done that."

Wanda licked her lips; she had fucked up. "I-I'm sorry."

He turned his head away and hovered over her motionless until he extended his metal arm. She nervously took it and opened her mouth to apologize again but she didn't get a chance to because he was out the door a second later.

* * *

Wanda definitely didn't anticipate the Winter Soldier coming by that night, not after she had infiltrated parts of his brain that he hadn't willingly allowed her to. But there he was, situated on the edge of her bed like it was some routine.

She expressed her regret over and over, but he didn't move an inch. He just sat there, arms crossed and his head downcast. Streaks of hair covered his face like curtains. It was already dark enough in her room, but the inability to see him actually raised the hairs on her arms and neck. She wasn't going to enter his mind, not without his approval, and so she had no clue what he was thinking.

" _Soldat_?" she asked quietly though she felt foolish. He had no name, and it irritated her. How could he have no name? "Please say something."

After more prolonged silence, he stowed loose hair behind his ears and finally raised his head. She gulped.

"Come here," he summoned delicately.

Wanda stopped chewing on her bottom lip and slowly crawled to him, adjusting her legs under her weight. She hated that she wasn't tranquil. Her nerves were skyrocketing. She couldn't predict the Winter Soldier. Perhaps that's why he was so lethal. And it terrified her.

He leisurely used his human hand and enveloped it over her small one. He brought it up to his lower cheek that was covered with dark five-o-clock shadow. Wanda drew in her breath sharply as he left it there, making it appear like he was sleeping. She was so captivated by this sudden act of affinity that she felt paralyzed. Her pads of her fingers tingled as she rubbed his stubble.

"I'm really sorry," she repeated. "I will never do that again. I promise."

That ghostly smile emerged. "I know, Wanda."

It wasn't precisely convincing, but it was enough for Wanda to raised her other hand to cup his entire face and turn it towards her. Thankfully the moon's light stretched a bit father through her window and gave her just a good amount of light to see his baby blues under those long lashes. His hands rested lightly on each side of her waist. They gazed at one another for what seemed like an eternity. It was deathly quiet, and neither wanted to risk breaking that silence.

Wanda timidly licked her lips. His eyes instantly looked down. Butterflies flew around her stomach. She did the same and brought his face closer to hers. She paused when he was a few centimeters away; she wanted to see if he would stop. But he didn't. Rather, he continued on until their lips melted together. The kiss was over as quick as it begun, but though their lips were no longer touching, he pressed their foreheads together.

"You'll be the end of me, Wanda," he painfully admitted.

Wanda grasped his back as he sunk his face into her neck, and shuddered at the ominous sounding confession.


	5. Chapter Four

" _They placed them up against the wall…"_

Now that she could use her powers, it was getting easier for Wanda to spar with the Winter Soldier. He was still evasive as ever with his movements, but it was just as hard for him to actually land a punch. Especially when she used her energy field; neither him or anyone could overpower her then. If only she was as trained and experienced as he was. Should she ever get to that level, then Wanda Maximoff would be the legitimate definition of an unkillable machine. And the Winter Soldier didn't believe that would be a good thing for her.

He slid under Wanda with his knee in an attempt to trip her, but she jumped and he wound up kicking air instead. He quickly regained his position and made a swift turn to hit her in the chest, but she raised her hands and the red shield blocked his fist. His eyes fluttered to her face, teeth gritting, and he knew what was coming next. Wanda heard this thought, and returned a small smirk as she hexed him across the room. He was smacked against the wall and fell back to the floor with a wince. He huffed as he staggered upwards and leaned by the wall to take a breather. Wanda walked over to him with a huge grin.

"I win, again." She declared cheerfully.

He shook his head lightly in defeat and a smile threatened to break through. "I wouldn't get too far ahead of myself."

Wanda rolled her eyes and extended her hand. "Come on, let's go again."

He took it, and once he did, he mustered every ounce of his strength to flip her upside down; he had to constantly remind himself that he couldn't hold back against her. Wanda landed on the cold ground and the Winter Soldier immediately straddled her, pinning her arms over her head. Wanda groaned, throbs of pain shooting throughout her spine.

"What did I say about letting your guard down?" he reprimanded with a hint of playfulness.

Wanda wiggled under his heavy weight and kneed him in his lower stomach, causing him to flinch back and release his grip on her wrists. They both shot up and engaged in a one-on-one match. She used that brief time to decide whether she should use her ability of flight to bring him down. He was already getting the upper hand with his blows, and then he clipped her in the knee, which made her to lose her balance and allowed him to take a jab at her chin. Wanda suddenly felt very angry, and in the next second, scarlet psionic hex energy flared from her palms. With one hand she steered herself into flight, and the other grabbed onto the Winter Soldier's collar.

They remained in the air for five seconds. Wanda drove him into the ground and mounted her legs on each side of his waist. Her hands crawled up to his neck and held him down. He let out another grunt as Wanda sat panting on top of him. She stared into his eyes, and when she didn't feel him move, she slowly brought her hand back and placed them on his shoulders.

"Admit it, _soldat_. I'm getting better."

The Winter Soldier sighed. "Yes… yes you are."

Wanda smiled and was going to get off of him, but then she felt his hands on her hips. A sensation wrecked all over her midsection; her breath hitched. She sank lower into his chest, never taking her eyes from him, and her lips was centimeters away from his when there were two loud bangs on the doors. The Winter Soldier sprung themselves up and pushed her away from him as Rumlow walked in unannounced.

"Practice is over. Doctor List needs to see Miss Maximoff right now," Rumlow firmly stated as he locked eyes with Wanda.

She tore from his gaze to the Winter Soldier, whose bearing had stiffened exponentially and was looking straight at Rumlow. When he didn't say anything, Wanda nodded towards Rumlow and left. She then looked over her shoulder to see Rumlow and the Winter Soldier walking the opposite way.

* * *

Wanda settled onto the hospital bed, her right hand sliding back and forth on one of the rails. She was alone in the room; Rumlow told her that Doctor List would be coming in a few. So Wanda waited and wondered why she had been brought there. The last time she was in List's examination quarters had been the day before the Winter Soldier's arrival. And prior to that, she had spent much of her time there under heavy medication as he had continuously examined her and Pietro after the experimentations. The place gave off an overall weird vibe and Wanda felt uncomfortable being there, much less alone.

Like most of the rooms she had been given access to, this one didn't have any windows. The walls were made of tiles and fluorescent lights. It was white, too white, and Wanda's patience grew thin with each passing minute. She sighed and clasped her hands together on her lap.

To her left, there were two large metal file cabinets. On top of each were two more graphite desktop file holders. For a doctor who only had two patients, that was awful lot of paperwork. There was one particular file that immediately grabbed Wanda's attention. It was sticking out from the other files, and she was intrigued because the script written on the file was Russian. As a schoolgirl, she had only been taught her native language and English, but she was aware that there were some Russian words that sounded similar to her own foreign tongue.

She contemplated getting up and skim through it, but then her mind went elsewhere. She could make out Doctor List's thoughts; he was getting closer to the quarters. So Wanda stayed put and mentally reminded herself to retrieve that file when she could.

Her head snapped up as Doctor List slipped into the room, and from behind the door she saw Rumlow. Their eyes locked again and Wanda sheepishly looked the other way, and then flinched when the door slammed shut.

"Ah, Miss Maximoff. Sorry for my delay," the old man announced as he put down the three folders that he had been carrying on top of a desk covered in medicine bottles and vials.

Wanda remained still, not bothering to respond. She just wanted to get whatever he wanted over and done with.

Doctor List proceeded to conduct his usual health and physical checkup. He made her change into a pale blue patient's gown and started off by inspecting her body for any unusual growths or marks. Aside from bruises and swellings acquired during her training, there was nothing. She then lied down on the hospital bed where he ran his pudgy, wrinkly hands over her legs, abdomen and her arms. She involuntarily winced every time he squeezed her skin; she found it repulsive to have any man other than the Winter Soldier touching her.

Afterwards, he used his stethoscope to listen to her heartbeats and tapped parts of her body. He finished by taking her pulse. He scribbled his data onto his clipboard while Wanda changed back into her workout clothes. She returned to her seat on the bed and waited to be dismissed.

"Expect to be called again in a day or two," he said, not looking up from his notes.

Wanda nodded absentmindedly.

Doctor List's head rose and he flicked his head to the side. "You may go, Miss Maximoff."

She didn't need to be told twice. She mumbled a quick "thank you" and was escorted by a guard back to her room.

* * *

"What exactly did you have in mind?" von Strucker asked. It was half past nine at night, and he had received a phone call from Alexander Pierce in Washington, D.C.

"The Asset's next mission is coming up. By that time, the twins will have undergone their first cleansing, according to your doctor. I don't think we should waste time in between that and bringing them into active duty."

The Baron hummed in agreement, though he was actually very wary as what Pierce wanted. "So you want the twins to be with the Asset in his next mission? Don't you think that's a bit too dangerous?"

Pierce's voice stayed within its normal tremor. "It's not dangerous because the Asset will be with them."

von Strucker paused, considering his next words carefully. "It depends on what kind of mission you're sending the Asset into, Pierce. If it's assassination –"

"Goodness, no," Pierce interrupted, chuckling. "A little break-in, that's all. Of course I wouldn't send the twins to a mission like that so early. Have some faith, Wolfgang."

von Strucker could feel his famous smirk through the line. He sniggered in response, but it came out nervously. Pierce immediately caught on.

"Listen," he said as his tone dropped down an octave. "All you need to focus on is prepping up the twins. Leave the rest to me."

"Yes, Mr. Pierce." von Strucker answered as he gripped the phone.

* * *

The Winter Soldier was returning from his daily reporting to Rumlow. He was walking to his room with his head down and fists balled up by his side when he suddenly had an instinct to look up. He did, and found Wanda across the hallway. She had just come out of the lavatories, he realized, as her hair was wet and her face was harshly faded. Their eyes met. Her mouth slightly parted at the sight of him. His shoulders tensed and his spine straightened, but he made sure to keep his face down enough so that his long hair covered most of his vision.

Rumlow picked up pace from behind him, enough that his strides took him to a step faster than the Winter Soldier. He then blocked his view of Wanda, which irked him. He was nearly at his door when he saw her reaction to Rumlow. Her almond green eyes widened as she obviously became flustered and she lowered her face just as she reached her room's door and disappeared through it. He immediately looked at Rumlow, whom he heard very lowly clearing his throat. He then opened his door and stepped away from the entrance to allow the Winter Soldier in.

Just as he crossed eyes with Rumlow, he felt an ardent urge to punch the hell out of him. He disliked – no, he hated what had just occurred between him and Wanda. He wanted to curse out Rumlow, to let him know that Wanda was his. He wanted to get Wanda away from him as soon as possible. And then he wanted to beat him until he couldn't.

But the Winter Soldier swallowed his anger and swiftly walked past Rumlow. He heard the door slam and it took him literally everything not to punch the wall.

* * *

His distress didn't subside. Though he had told himself that tonight he'd stay in his room, he couldn't get Wanda out of his head. She had invaded him entirely. He craved to hear her accent, longed to touch her face, to kiss those lips. It reached to a point where she was more important than any mission report. He didn't know how he would survive without her once training was completed. He didn't even want to think about it.

But, more shockingly, he was boiling over that little moment in the corridor. He had never seen Wanda behave like that around Rumlow. Likewise, he hadn't seen Rumlow appear so embarrassed. None of it made sense to the Winter Soldier, and it made him feel really mad. Once it was well over midnight, he made an impetuous charge to her room.

He slowly closed the door, and turned around to see, in the midst of darkness, Wanda rising up from her bed. She didn't say anything, so he didn't either. Instead, he narrowed his eyes on her frame. Her hair was mostly damp and a bit disheveled, with her cheeks slightly tinted pink. Her eyes broadened towards him. He couldn't make out if it was out of curiosity or alarm. He knew that the way he was standing, it was imposing. But that's because he was unable to move. That's the effect Wanda had on him. She could make the world around him stop. She rendered him speechless.

He watched as she shoved aside her bedsheets. Her movements brought about questions, as if she was debating whether she should approach him. But if there were any warnings, she ignored them because she got up from her bed to stand in front of him. He wanted to flick his hair behind his ears to get a better look at her, but he couldn't budge an inch. Behold her, he was a silent statue.

She had to fully raise her neck to look at him dead in the eyes. She bit down on her lower lip, and he finally snapped.

"I don't think I can control myself anymore," he gasped.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

He gulped and closed his eyes. He was trembling. "Around you… I don't think I have the strength to control myself around you."

It was quiet for a second.

"Then don't."

The Winter Soldier's eyes opened to see Wanda heartedly smile at him.


	6. Chapter Five

" _And made love perpendicular…"_

"Then don't."

The Winter Soldier's eyes glazed over, as if a spell had been placed on him. He no longer felt ashamed; instead he felt something otherworldly. It was an unknown sensation that both frightened and excited him. Wanda was eliciting an emotion so provocative that it almost made him run away. He nearly did, but he couldn't budge to move.

He didn't want to hurt her. Not that he could; she'd hurt him before he could even think about it. But it was a powerful feeling, one he had never felt before. He wanted Wanda, and Wanda only. Nothing else mattered. His main concern was Wanda and her safety, her happiness. He never wanted to leave her side. And he certainly didn't want any other man besides him standing next to her.

In the midst of his realization that he was actually falling in love with Wanda Maximoff, she gently grabbed his metal hand and, not tearing her eyes from his, placed it under her shirt onto a naked patch of her waist's skin. The Winter Soldier instinctively squeezed it, which brought out a small sound from Wanda. His member instantly rose up in response.

That's it. He could no longer hold his passion in.

With his human hand on the back of her damp chestnut hair, he leaned down and kissed her. Their mouths moved violently against one another. They had been starving for quite a while, and now they were at last feeding their hunger. Wanda rose all the way to her tippy-toes, her arms wrapping themselves around the Winter Soldier's broad shoulders. She craned her neck so as to allow him more entrance to her mouth, moaning as she felt his tongue lapping with hers.

His hands trailed down her spine, sending Wanda into shivers. He stopped at her bum and he raised her up, her legs enclosing around his waist. She gasped when she felt his hardened membrane against her nightgown. Her head leaned back as he gorged on her neck and collarbone.

Before she even realized it, the Winter Soldier had let her slide down to her bed. He discarded his t-shirt and pants before engulfing Wanda with his muscled body, not giving her the chance to fully observe him. He tugged at her hemline; she untangled herself to slip off her nightgown. She then gripped at his bare back, her nails digging into his skin as he ravaged her mouth. Wanda's legs quickly wrapped around his midriff, and a wave of lust attacked her wet core as she felt him harden even more.

He brought their bodies closer, her exposed breasts smashing into his chest, and he groaned into her mouth. His metal hand went to her thigh and raised her leg up, while his human one readied to enter her. At that moment, Wanda finally came to her senses and she clutched his human hand in a frantic.

"I've… I'm a virgin," she confessed.

He gave her a heart-wrenching smile. "It's alright. I can't exactly remember the last time I did this… if I even did. Tell me when to stop, and I will."

Wanda bit her lip, and then nodded. She closed her eyes as she held onto the back of his neck and drew him down to kiss him. She then felt the tip of his manhood at her entrance, and Wanda couldn't help but hitch her breath when he finally penetrated her. Wanda gasped, breaking away from his lips to encase her arms on his shoulders. Pain was all she could feel, and it kept getting worse as he slowly pulled in and out.

A minute passed until the burn cooled down. And it all but went away. It suddenly turned into such pleasure, such satisfaction, that Wanda bit down on her lower lip as hard as she could to stop herself from moaning so loudly. She took his face into her sweaty palms and directed him to kiss her. She revered the tingle that his stubble left on her chin, the long strands of his dark hair tickling her forehead and cheeks. She simply loved every facet of his body.

His pace quickened, and they had to cover each other's mouths as they orgasmed. Wanda didn't even care that he had come inside of her. All she could think of was how beautiful he looked as he trembled in her arms under the moonlight. They both had climaxed unusually quickly, which she thought was actually good. No matter how much it hurt her to have him leave, he needed to. They had risked more than enough.

He continued to take in the woman underneath him, his thumb rubbing back and forth on her balmy cheekbone. His eyes were already drooping in sadness, but before she could see this, he leaned down and gently kissed her.

It took him some time to find his clothes in the darkness; once he did, he flicked his head over his shoulder. Wanda was clothed as well, and smiled at him. The Winter Soldier swallowed – he knew he had to leave immediately. But without thinking, he took two strides and his hands cupped her round face and he kissed her one last time.

Wanda remained splayed across her tangled sheets, unable to hold back a grin. She had just lost her virginity. In spite of all everything that has happened – death, war, experimentations, powers – Wanda had managed to find… love.

She was in love.

She was too young to know what love meant, but if what she was feeling held any merit, then this was closest to knowing the possibility of love. Love with a man who was only known as the Winter Soldier. A man with a metal arm and superhuman strength. But more importantly, a man with no past.

Wanda thought back on a specific file in List's quarters. Pietro had mentioned that he had overheard the Winter Soldier speaking to von Strucker in a language that sounded like Russian. If she had to guess, it would be that Doctor List must know about the Winter Soldier and whoever he was before Hydra got him.

She had to get her hands on that file. Just to see if it had anything on the Winter Soldier. And then maybe she could finally call him by his real name, and not _Soldat_ , amongst other things.

* * *

Wanda hummed lowly as she chewed on her buttered slice of bread, one leg under her weight as the other rocked back and forth. She was staring off absentmindedly, remembering vividly the mechanical sound of his metal arm's plates as he had gripped the bottom of her thigh. His tongue licking her collarbone while she was biting his earlobe –

"Wandaaaaaa," Pietro bellowed as he waved a spoon in front of her.

Hearing her brother's voice, she shook her head slightly and blinked rapidly to push away those incandescent memories.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

Pietro dropped the spoon and eyed at his sister. Wanda wanted so much to read his mind, but he'd know as soon as she did, and that would annoy him even more.

"You're in a happy mood this morning," he pointed out.

Wanda shrugged as she bit off another piece of bread. "A good night sleep will do that to you."

Pietro raised a brow. " _Just_ a good night of sleep?"

Wanda, avoiding his accusing stare, shrugged nonchalantly again. She threw back some of her hair and continued to eat. She knew that he was onto her. But how? She hadn't been that obvious, at least she didn't think so.

"What's that? What happened?"

She looked up to see him pointing an index finger at the side of her neck. Her eyes widened – he had paid quite attention to that part of her body and from her brother's reaction, had left evidence. Shit.

Her hand quickly rose up to cover it and her cheeks reddened. His blue eyes caught sight of all and his brows furrowed deeper. He was definitely suspicious.

"What do you mean?" she said, and mentally cursed herself at having spoken in a higher tone.

"I'm not stupid, Wanda," he deadpanned. "I know a love bite when I see one."

Wanda's mouth dropped. "It's just a bruise from training –"

His head lowered, his face twisting menacingly.

"Do you honestly believe that I don't know about you and that man?" he spit out, making Wanda flinch.

She sighed and wanted to tell him that he was wrong, but she found herself at a loss for words. "Pietro… it's not like that –"

He grabbed both her hands, which brought her closer over the edge of the table. His hold was tough and it became harder to breathe as her stomach was hard against the frame of the table. She suddenly felt fear. She had never been scared of her brother before. And even in the midst of other agents in the room, Wanda still felt like it was only the two of them.

"You need to _end_ it," he growled. "You cannot put your _life_ in danger for him."

Wanda involuntarily nodded, and as soon as she did, Pietro let go and walked away. She dropped her shoulders and turned from the other people in the cafeteria. She gulped back tears because she knew he was right. Pietro didn't mean any harm, but this was serious. Both of them knew it. No matter how strong they were, Hydra had the necessary restraints to hold them back.

They had promised to always stick together. She was putting that promise in danger by getting close to Hydra's most prized weapon. She was in love, that she couldn't deny, but was it worth the lives of not only hers but that of her brother's?

* * *

After breakfast, Wanda was escorted back to her room. She wouldn't train that day, which brought on a frown. She had been looking forward to speaking to him, especially after what had Pietro told her to do. Instead, Wanda laid on her bed until the door opened promptly. It was Rumlow.

"Get up," he commanded though his eyes remained not on her. "Doctor List wants to see you."

Wanda gave him a wary look, but nevertheless flipped her legs over the bed and proceeded to walk past him. She kept her head down so her hair covered most of her face. His tense posture bothered Wanda, and though she wasn't allowed to use her mind reading ability outside of combat practice, she had an urge to read whatever was going through that man's head.

As she exited through the door, with her back to him, she closed off her senses and easily penetrated through Rumlow's unguarded walls.

 _Goddamn it. How can she always look good?_

Wanda's mouth formed a small O. Her throat closed up; she felt like she was about to throw up. Rumlow had a crush on her? She couldn't believe it. An agent liking _her_? It reminded her of those American drama films that her mother loved watching.

Her strides became longer as she tried to outwalk him. She wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.

She sighed a breath of relief when she spotted Doctor List's examination quarters with the door slightly unlatched. She barged in and nearly ran into the doctor himself.

"Oh!"

"In a hurry, are we, Miss Maximoff?" List gasped.

Wanda smiled tightly. "Sorry," she grumbled and excused herself to the patient bed.

Doctor List shook his head and closed the door, but not before telling Rumlow to stand by outside. Wanda's insides rolled over.

After reading over his notes and examining Wanda's body yet again, he made her sit up on the bed and perform some of her abilities. He stared wide-eyed as she demonstrated levitation, telekinesis and mind reading. He disliked the last part, but only because it was done on him. Other than that, Doctor List was amazed and commended Wanda for her growth.

"Now, before I dismiss you, there is something you need to know. Before anyone goes into active duty, they are introduced to a Hydra process called cleansing."

Wanda's eyes narrowed. "What is that?"

"It involves working with your brain, but it's a painless procedure," List said. It bothered Wanda that he wasn't looking at her; rather, he was speaking while writing on his clipboard.

"Will I be conscious?"

Doctor List's face, revealing wrinkles on his forehead. "Yes, but like I said, there will be no pain."

Wanda nodded, though she was still at edge. Cleansing of the brain. The name alone brought on an ominous feeling. What did she have stored in her head that necessitated Hydra going in there and messing around with her memories?

Doctor List suddenly started panicking, flicking papers back and forth on his clip.

"Oh, what an idiot," List muttered under his breath. He turned to Wanda. "I'll be right back, I forgot something, just stay here." He scuttled out of the room.

Left alone, Wanda laid back on the bed and kept on pondering. She didn't like the idea of her brain being picked at, not anymore. Not after the experimentations. She had been through hell when she underwent them, and she certainly didn't believe the doctor when he said that it was painless. He had said the same thing when she and Pietro volunteered. It was so excruciatingly painful that, after she woke up, she wasn't surprised to find out that she and her brother had been the only ones to survive. She realized then that she could have been just another death, her name and life fading into nonexistence. It was something she had vowed to never go through again. The feeling of powerlessness. Now that was empowered, neither Wanda nor Pietro could ever be forced to go through torture.

As she stared at the wall beyond, her attention ran down to that file. The Russian one. It was still there. Untouched, it seemed.

Wanda bit her lip. It wouldn't hurt to have a glimpse at it. Just to simmer down her curiosity. Just to see if it was linked to the Winter Soldier, who spoke nearly perfect Russian.

She got up and looked at the door. She couldn't hear List's thoughts. Nevertheless, she had to be fast. After taking another cautious gaze to the door, Wanda licked her lips and walked forward, her hand having touched the file when she suddenly heard the doctor. She cursed and jumped on the bed just as List reappeared, totally oblivious to the disheveled Wanda.

Damn it. She'd have to find another way. That file might hold the answers to her burning questions regarding the Winter Soldier, and what Hydra was really about.

* * *

A begrudged Pietro stalked into the training room. He had had enough. Who did this man think he was to lay his hands on his twin sister? He had no right, none at all. He didn't give a shit if it was consensual. They were outright forbidden to have any type of intimate relationship with anyone in the facility. He didn't know of the consequences, and he didn't want to either. Both of them were clearly aware, and yet they were stupid enough to do it anyways. Well, no more. If Wanda wasn't going to finish, then he damn will.

The Winter Soldier was already waiting for him. No words were exchanged. Pietro immediately aimed for his face. He dodged it, but Pietro was already striking him with his other fist. He wouldn't easy on him – hell no. The bastard deserved every lick he was about to swallow. And of course, Pietro was going to use his superspeed. Nothing was fair in this world.

Seeing his surprised reaction, Pietro sneered. He hadn't realized what was going on. He was confused by his behavior – he had never been that violent – and Pietro reveled in it. He continued to hit him to the floor, run some laps around the room so as to push him against the wall.

Only a few seconds had passed, but for Pietro, it was an eternity. He was unleashing all this anger boiled in the pit of his stomach. He was enraged by his sister's naiveté, but it all ended up being the Winter Soldier's fault. He was cognizant of the fact that he couldn't get involved with Wanda. He might even know the repercussions – and still acted like a complete dumbass. He put his sister's life at risk and it pissed the hell out of Pietro.

The beating went on and on, and though he was taken a little aback when the Winter Soldier didn't protect himself, Pietro didn't let on. The Winter Soldier let him have his fury.

Once he saw blood spewing from the corner of his lip, Pietro finally stopped. He had never seen the Winter Soldier bleed before. Not invincible, after all. He left him groaning on the cold floor, his metal hand rubbing his jaw. He hadn't managed to leave any contusions or actual wounds, but the bleeding would suffice.

Taking a few breaths, Pietro nudged himself off the wall and slowly trekked to his battered trainee. He hadn't fought back because he knew why. That fact alone almost brought the heat on but Pietro bit his tongue back. He only had one thing to say to the bastard.

He crouched down to the Winter Soldier, his white blonde hair covering the tips of his blue-burning eyes.

"If _anything_ happens to Wanda," Pietro threatened. "I _will_ kill you."

The Winter Soldier returned a black look. "I'd like to see you try."

Pietro scoffed, but his death glare remained. He inhaled, a wry smile forming on his mouth. He shook his head once, and then exited the training room.

* * *

Later that night, a physically (and mentally) worn-out Winter Soldier was brought to the showers.

"Five minutes," Rumlow grumbled from behind him.

He turned around to glare at him. "Ten," he demanded.

Rumlow returned his cold daggers but after a few seconds of a stare down, he scoffed and looked down the hall. "Fine. Ten."

Once he was alone, the Winter Soldier leaned against the door and sighed. He was tired, if not irritable over his dogfight with Pietro Maximoff. He was more annoyed with himself, though, because he would've done the same thing if their sides were switched. He was protecting his sister, and he couldn't fault him for that. He understood where he came from. But still. It only caused him more unease.

 _Forget about it_ , he repeated over and over.

He trudged to the one of the corner showers, far away from the door, with the strings of his bag clinging onto his human fingers. Ten minutes under the hot water sounded just right. He could sit under the rod and let the water come down, half wishing that it would wash away his feelings for her. If it wasn't for her, he would be just fine. He wouldn't have nearly gotten into a fight with her brother. He wouldn't have to look over his shoulder every three seconds, or tear himself with angst every time he wasn't close to her. He had been programmed not to feel a single thing, and now that he was breaking that rule, not only was it happiness that he felt. Foreboding also grappled his head. A tamed but lingering panic in the pit of his gut. It wasn't just his life that was suddenly in danger. Hers was too, and now her brother's. Two innocent lives in the palm of his hand. Two possible deaths that he actually had the power not to deliver the final blow.

He had been so wrapped up in his thinking that he initially failed to hear the sound of water running. Once he heard it, he stopped in his tracks and his eyes crumpled as he traced the noise to the shower he was going to use. The curtains were drawn, and behind it, a dark silhouette. Someone was using it. He was about to go complain to Rumlow for not realizing that the bathrooms weren't empty, but then he heard it.

The person was humming softly. He recognized that intonation anywhere.

 _Wanda_.

Was it really her? It had to be her. And there was only one way to find out.

He tilted his head to the side as he discreetly continued his journey, the humming growing more loudly. His heart was racing and his hands started shaking. He was positive it was Wanda; after all she was the only female in the research facility. But there hadn't been a handler standing outside the entrance. How did she manage to get there unnoticed?

There was a nightgown, white underwear and a pair of wholly socks placed neatly on the cemented floor. The towel hanging off the tile wall, which stood up halfway so as to allow the curtains to fall behind it. The area around him was fogging up, and the heat only made him even more nervous. Though they had made love just the night before, he wasn't used to such intimacy. And since Pietro had threatened to kill him if he continued on whatever he had going with Wanda, it was for the best not let things escalate.

He gulped, followed by a pause, and then he cleared his throat. "Wanda?"

The humming immediately stopped. The figure's body snapped in his direction. He remained flat on his feet. An arm slowly raised and fingers appeared, which clutched onto the curtain. Gently, they were drawn back and it revealed the most beautiful face he had ever seen. Light green eyes met his dilated blue ones. Wet brown hair matted on her cheeks and shoulder, her forearm covering her nipple as she further stuck herself out.

She gasped. " _Soldat_? How… how did you get in here?"

Another gulp. She really must be a witch. "I could ask you the same thing."

Wanda raised a brow and a light laugh escaped her lips. "The man, he came in and said he had to leave, but would be back soon."

"And he didn't leave someone else in his place?"

"No… I guess not," she replied. There was a glint to her eyes, and he couldn't help but wander his attention to her exposed collarbone. Once he looked back up, he knew she was thinking the same thing. But they couldn't. It had gone way too far between them. _It had to stop_.

He tightened his lips and straightened up his spine. "I'll wait outside then."

He didn't even get the chance to move because she spoke.

"Wait!"

In spite of what his brain was yelling at him, _NO, YOU HAVE TO LEAVE_ , the Winter Soldier stayed right where he was. He had expected her to say that, and in the depths of his heart, he had wanted her to do it. Because, in reality, he really didn't want to leave.

She bit her bottom lip, her grip on the curtain loosening. "Can you come in here? Just for a few minutes."

The Winter Soldier sighed. Goodness gracious – when he had said that she would be the end of him, he didn't want it to mean quite literally. Because that's exactly what was shaping up to be. His heart screamed yes, yes he wanted to go in there so fucking badly. But his state of mind commanded him to walk away, and he was in the midst of opening his mouth to tell her that it would be better for him to just wait for her to finish.

And then she released the curtain to the side. She stood naked, sudsy. The Winter Soldier inhaled deeply as his eyes pried over her entire body. Her hair was so long that it blocked her right breast, and her body had splotches of bruises, and she was really skinny, but it didn't matter. She was an angel in disguise. She was everything he wanted. As a man, he could only resist temptation for such a short time. And her looking ravenous tipped him over the edge.

He tossed his bag aside and without caring for his leather outfit, he took two strides and wrapped his human hand on the back of her wet head to kiss her. Wanda yelped by the sudden rough movement, and he almost backed away in fear he had hurt her, but she quickly responded by waving a hand at his belt, which snatched open. The hot water splashed onto his face, and as Wanda moaned against his Adam's apple while pushing down his pants, he groaned.

He could no longer hear the voice. His mind was silent – and surprisingly, sane. He was in command of his own head, body, and took advantage of it by focusing solely on the woman in front of him. His Wanda. Who by then had managed to rip off the remaining clothes.

His fingers slithered down her thighs, allowing her to snake her legs on his bare waist. He pushed her up against the wet tiled wall and sunk his membrane into her core, which elicited two moans. They ravaged each other's mouths while he continued to plunge into her.

Once they came (and kept it as silent as they could), Wanda rested her forehead on his wet shoulder. She slightly turned to look at him. His metal arm holding her up by her bum, he raised his human hand to caress her cheek. She smiled, pecked his collarbone, and untangled herself from him to grab her towel.

More than ten minutes had definitely passed.

He shut off the shower and, without saying a word, they quickly dried off and changed.

"I'll go first," he stated softly.

Wanda nodded, a tint of pink sparkling her cheeks.

By God, how beautiful she was. The Winter Soldier didn't know how much longer they could carry on, but in that moment, he made a decision. One he wasn't aware that could be even possible. He promised himself to freedom. One day, he would find his way out. He didn't know when, or how, but he had to escape Hydra. And he would take her with him. He could no longer risk living without her. He needed her, just like she needed him. They'd escape and be together forever. Whatever it took.


	7. Chapter Six

" _I'll be your wench…"_

The metal door swung open. Wanda, who had been waiting on the edge of her bed, was surprised to see the person who stood on the opposite side of the threshold. She was even more disturbed when he didn't meet her eyes, opting to focus on the ground underneath him.

Came Rumlow's rough voice, "Get up, Maximoff, I'm escorting you to training."

Wanda resisted the urge to take a gander inside the agent's mind, reminding herself that she had heard enough. She listened to his commands and hopped off the bed, all the while keeping her arms securely crossed across her chest. She hated that she felt self-conscious about her appearance whenever she was around Rumlow. She didn't want him having the thoughts that he had regarding her, not only for her sake but his as well.

She walked behind him, keeping a considerable distance between them. Once they arrived to the training room, two agents opened the doors and Rumlow stepped aside. Wanda swiftly walked passed him, feeling relief when she saw the Winter Soldier waiting for her. Her mouth tweaked into a smile as soon as her face was out of view from the agents, but the super soldier had a different reaction. His death stare was on Rumlow. Wanda followed his eyes and turned her face over her shoulder, only to shift back when she saw his burning gaze solely on her. Wanda involuntarily gulped and jumped slightly at the loud sound of the doors slamming shut. The Winter Soldier's eyes reverted back to her.

Wanda immediately blushed, memories of the previous night in the showers rewinding in her head. She took a deep breath as she ripped a rubber band from her wrist and pulled her brown mane up into a ponytail. She kept her attention on him, tracing his eyes which in turn followed her movement. He was frowning, almost pouting.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He blinked and his demeanor softened just a bit. "Have you looked into Agent Rumlow's mind?"

Wanda was taken aback. "Why?" she said slowly.

She noticed his shoulders stiffen, but his face gave off another story. He raised an eyebrow and his upper lip curled up. "You know exactly why."

Wanda pursed her lips, then bit down. It was no use to hide things from him, even if it wasn't her intention. She looked at the floor. "Yes."

"So you know."

Wanda's face shot up and cowered. He was angry, fists balled up by his side. She was about ask "Know what?" but he continued.

"If he even –" Another blink. " – touches you…" he said, teeth gritting and his blue eyes dilating.

Wanda shook her head and ran to him, her hand raised to caress his stubble-covered cheek. His face instantly eased and his eyes fluttered closed, the rage dying before it had a chance to rise. She shushed him, and with her other free hand rubbed over his human fist. It relaxed under the pad of her thumb running circles over his skin. He sighed, the coolness of his breath hitting Wanda on her forehead. His posture became less rigid.

"He won't," she said before rephrasing, "He can't."

His eyes opened and the fury was gone, replaced by uncertainty. "He can't but it won't stop him or any other man in this facility."

"You'll stop him," she replied, giving him a weak smile.

He returned it ever so slightly, but brows remained furrowed. Then he stepped back from her hold and lowered his head, clearing his throat. Wanda suddenly felt awkward.

"Since we're at the end of your training, I thought we should revisit mental manipulation one last time."

The Winter Soldier brought forth two chairs and they sat facing one another. Wanda tried fighting off the anxiety bubbling in her gut – their last mind reading session had gone not the way either had expected, and she had already promised him that she would never do it again. And if she were being honest with herself, she didn't want to read his mind again. Not out of curiosity (in actuality, she was desperate to find who the Winter Soldier really was) but she didn't want to risk hurting him. He clearly had no memory prior to their first meeting, and from what she gathered, it seemed like he wanted it to be kept that way.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

He nodded and gave her an uplifting smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. She looked on concerned, wondering whether it was even necessary. He knew what she was capable of; so did List and the Baron. Any possible complication this might bring could easily be avoidable. She could use the practice, but doing it against him just didn't feel right.

Wanda was visibly hesitant, so the Winter Soldier grabbed her hands and gently laid them on either side of his temples.

"Are you _sure_?" she repeated.

The Winter Soldier looked over her head for a second, leading Wanda to think if he had been debating the same thing. But he recovered, his hands lowering to his knees and then nodded once though his breathing was unsteady.

Wanda returned the gesture while biting her lip. "What do you want me to do?"

"Make me see anything you want me to see."

Red snake-like mist poured out of Wanda's fingertips and circled around the Winter Soldier's head. All the muscles in her body instantaneously relaxed, her mind throwing out any trivial thought. She couldn't hear anything except the sound of him exhaling softly through his nose. She pressed onto his temples, and then no longer felt she was inside her body.

Barren. Empty. Derelict. Wasted. Those four words popped up upon entering the mind of the Winter Soldier. Other than memories of their time together, nothing had changed since she was last in there. It was a gloomy, cloud-filled ruin of a brain. How in the world has he managed to stay sane all this time? And more importantly, what the hell did Hydra do to keep him so mentally incapacitated?

The same wall that she had encountered last time was still there. It was reinforced, because there was no sign of the little crack that she had made. It blocked her path, stopping her from going further into the depths of his mind. She had fought to break just a minute part of the wall, when she had heard that blood-curdling scream. She considered doing it again, to fight it until it came apart. But the way it was built, it would take her time. And time wasn't on either of their side.

Then Wanda remembered what he had said: mental _manipulation_. Not only could Wanda read minds, but she could also control it. She could instill whatever she pleased, _manipulate_ it doing thinking certain things that would make the person act in any way she wanted. If she was going to do what was expected of her in that moment, then she couldn't feel guilt. It wasn't Hydra's doing – they would kill if they didn't need her for picking apart their asset's mind. No, this was the willful bidding of the Winter Soldier. The reason? She was about to find out.

Wanda contemplated on how she was going to tear down the wall. Whether she should give him a happy memory of them together or a terrifying nightmare of something terrible happening to the other. She wanted to save him from pain, but it seemed the only viable solution was to do just that. Fear could break down the wall. Nothing else.

She implemented an illusion of the Hydra agents tearing them apart. The Winter Soldier groaned in distress and he started shaking under her fingers. She stretched her hands over the sides of his head, brushing them under his hair. She needed to keep him still.

It was beginning to be hard to breathe, but through the mental thrashing he was going through when Rumlow came up to Wanda and shot her once in the forehead, Wanda noticed at the wall crumbling. Once Wanda's dead body hit the floor, he was overcome with so much devastation that for a split second, Wanda wanted to end all of it. She wanted to leave his head and tell him it was not real, that she was alive and well. But she couldn't. She was too deep in.

Then she heard a scream. The same scream. Not bothering to wait for the entire wall to cave in, Wanda burst through it. The Winter Soldier ceased moving under her.

She gasped at the sudden cold whipping at her face. There were mountains covered in snow. A small river down below. A train running at high speed. A muffled voice, she couldn't make of it. But she saw a face. A man with blonde hair. She couldn't believe it. Captain America? He was on the edge of the train, which was over a bridge and several meters up in the mountain. He was holding out his hand. Wanda followed his eyes.

Another young man, dressed in military uniform, holding onto dear life a mangling handle off a destroyed portion of the train. The man looked awfully like the Winter Soldier, except his hair was short and he had no five o'clock shadow. He tried extending his arm but the handle gave away and he fell.

"No!" Wanda yelled.

His screams filled her ears, and then it all went black. The image was gone. She was ripped away from his mind. Beneath her hold, she felt him go limp. She opened her eyes, realizing they had actually been open the entire time and covered in tears. She saw the Winter Soldier slouched in his chair. Wanda choked out a sob, hoping that he would move. But he didn't.

Wanda sprang from her seat and shook his shoulders.

"Wake up! Please wake up," she cried. "Please, I'm sorry! Wake up, please!"

The corner of his mouth twitched, and then he let out a loud gasp, his eyes revealing blue saucers. Wanda, surprised, stepped back a bit to give him some room to breathe. He inhaled and exhaled, his chest rising with each beating rhythm. He then gave her a baffled look, creases lining over his forehead. Confusion turned into suspicion.

"What did you do?" he demanded.

"I – " Wanda stuttered. She protectively wrapped her arms around her chest, feeling very small under his intense gaze. "I, I just… I needed go in deeper –"

He held up a lame hand and shook his head once. His face was completely exhausted, the under-eye circles growing more pronounced.

"Wanda, just – don't." He gulped. His voice vibrated, and she saw his metal hand slightly tremble. "Please."

Wanda nodded absentmindedly and kept her distance. She didn't know what else to do. In front of her laid a broken, broken man. She wanted to help him so bad, but wound up hurting him further. She made him relive whatever that memory was, a memory that Hydra didn't want him to remember. A memory they had endlessly worked on erasing from his mind. But it was still there. For how long, she couldn't estimate. It was there, and its impact was far more profound than Wanda could've imagined.

He buried his face into his hands. Running them over his disheveled hair. Wanda bit her lip. A tear ran down her cheek. What had she done?

"Don't tell anyone what you saw," He finally looked up at her and Wanda nearly felt her legs give out. The intensity of his gaze was unlike anything she had seen before. "Do you understand?"

Wanda nodded. "I won't. I promise."

He returned to looking at the floor, licking his lips. He then got up and walked to the door. He paused for a second. Wanda wanted to run her hands over his back, to tell him how sorry she was, but she was frozen. He left.

* * *

"How're the progressions going for the twins, Baron?" Alexander Pierce asked through the phone. He was on speaker for a conversation between him, von Strucker and Doctor List.

The Baron replied, "Excellent, as usual. I must say, you've done well with the Asset. It has done a marvelous job getting the twins ready."

"Thank you, I appreciate that. Of course, I expected no less from the Asset. Nearly 70 years later and it continues to contribute to Hydra. Nothing better could've happened to the twins than it."

von Strucker snickered. "Right you are, Mr. Pierce. And because he's been so effective –" He raised his head to meet eyes with Doctor List sitting across his desk. " – Doctor List has deemed it possible to start on the cleansing process."

"Oh really?" Pierce sounded surprised. "But there's still a week left."

"He's examined the twins on almost a regular basis now, and combined with the Asset's reports, Doctor List sees no reason as to delay the process when it can begin now."

"Is that true, Doctor List?"

The Baron shot him daggers, eyes rolling from him to the phone. List cleared his throat.

"Yes," he stammered. "Though we won't actually know if they're really ready until they are sent on missions –" He was interrupted by the Baron's flippant groan, making List think that he was about to be thrown from the room. "– But other than that, there is no problem with either of them."

He diverted back into his own seat while von Strucker stared on annoyingly.

"Well, that's that. I'll begin the arrangements to bring the twins and the Asset to Washington. But don't let them know this. I'd like for them to still focus on just training."

von Strucker smiled. "Yes, Mr. Pierce."

* * *

The lights had been shut off for at least two hours. Wanda just couldn't sleep. She had done covers or no covers, pillow under and over her head, laying on the opposite side of the bed. Nothing helped. She couldn't get the Winter Soldier's face out of her mind. The regret was eating at her. She wondered if he would ever forgive her. If he would tell von Stucker that he couldn't train with her any longer. She wouldn't bare it if he took himself out of her life. It was no longer about staying loyal to only Hydra. She was loyal to her brother, and to him.

They were already walking on dangerous grounds – she had told herself that millions of times already. They were risking each other livelihoods. Pietro's too. It was a constant, every day thought. Wanda knew, damn it, _she knew_. She had read up on what she could find for Hydra before volunteering for the experimentations. He was an assassin, and she was being turned into one (or so she suspected). They were things, not people, in the eyes of Hydra.

But they _were_ people. Two lost human souls. Bound by torment, pain and death. Neither looked for it; it just happened. Wanda loved him, and even though he hadn't explicitly said, there was no denying that he loved her back. They were connected in ways that no one could ever understand.

The question of "should we stay together?" had meshed into "how long will we stay together?" She didn't know how long they could remain together, and it frightened her to the very core. Maybe that is her punishment. She wasn't supposed to fall in love. Now that she was, she'd be separated from him. She wouldn't know of his whereabouts. She'd have Pietro, but she'd still feel like she was missing her other half.

The end was nearing. Wanda could sense it. She had no idea what lay ahead, beyond the walls of the facility. She did the only thing that she could right then. To take matters into her own hands, for once. If these were her last days with the Winter Soldier, the only man she'll ever love, then she wanted it to be happy ones. She wanted to make him feel happiness, not agony.

Wanda slipped on her socks and tip-toed to the metal door. She closed her eyes momentarily and expanded her mind to those around her. She heard no thoughts. The hallway was closed off; everyone was sleeping. Wanda unlatched the large bolt and peeked her head out. Seeing it clear, Wanda slowly closed the door and, pumped with adrenaline, ran down the hall to the Winter Soldier's room. She plastered the side of her face its door, hearing nothing. Her skinny fingers wrapped on the lock and she flinched when it groaned. Once it was fully open, Wanda sneaked in and quickly closed it.

She turned around in the darkened room, unable to see anything in front of her except the little moonlight shine that illuminated on his hair. He was laying sideways away from the door, fully covered. Wanda waited for him to stir, but he didn't. So she went to him, crouching down beside his bed to be at eye-level. His human hand was under his pillow, and he was no wearing no shirt.

She stayed quiet, opting to simply look at his sleeping form. He reminded her of an angel. A beautiful angel who had fallen and risen, like the phoenix bird. Or so that's what Wanda wanted to think. He had fallen and has remained that way, but not because he wanted to.

"You shouldn't be here," he said lowly with eyes still closed.

Wanda smiled. "I can't stay away from you."

She raised one hand and gently caressed his cheek, loving the itch left on her fingertips from his facial hair. His breathing became more steady, his entire face crease-free.

"I'm sorry for what I did earlier. I hurt you, and I'm sorry."

She lightly traced over his lips, his nose, his eyebrows, his forehead. She shrugged his dark brown locks behind his ear, and was astounded when she became rather ticked off at two strands escape his ear and come right back onto his cheek.

The pressure under her thighs started to get uncomfortable, and Wanda thought of switching position to sitting on her knees when she was suddenly yanked into the bed. His metal arm circled around her waist and brought her up against his muscled frame. Wanda gasped and gripped onto his shoulders. She could only make out his blue eyes with help from the window; the rest of him was blanketed in near black.

She craned her neck up to see him. His face was inches from hers, his sweet exhaling breath hitting her. She rubbed one palm on the back of his neck, while the other ran down his human arm. His anchor on her tightened, bringing them so close that it actually became hard for Wanda to breathe. But she didn't care. She was in his arms. Everything else was irrelevant.

"I forgive you," he whispered.

"You do?"

He nodded.

"Was that you falling from the train?"

She felt him stiffen. He laid his forehead onto her own.

"Maybe… I'm not sure. Let's… I don't want to talk about that now. Can we just sit here for a minute?"

Wanda responded by bringing both hands and pushing his hair behind his ears again. He brought his human hand to her bottom lip, opening her mouth up. They kissed for several seconds, tongues softly lapping over each other. She whimpered at the passion of the kiss; he answered by slipping his metal arm under her gown to rest on her naked hip.

She broke away first, leaving both gasping for air. Wanda stared into his eyes, amazed at how much love she could see. She wanted to say it so badly, but she ultimately bit her tongue. She didn't want to ruin the moment. They had a couple days left, plenty of time to tell him. Besides, she felt like they had already said "I love you" through their lovemaking sessions. All that was needed was to say it, and Wanda would make sure of it.

She kissed him again, and returned to her room where she dreamed a dream of them living a Hydra-less, powerless life.

* * *

 **A/N:** College semester is finishing up, so there won't be another update until December. Again thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter Seven

" _If you'll be my knight."_

Wanda didn't know what to make of the news that she had received that morning, that she and her brother had reached the end of their training and they were to expect to be moved elsewhere. Relived was one thing she felt because in all honesty, she had had enough of exerting so much power when she could store it and use it at a more appropriate time. She was also plagued by disappointment, and a little fear, since it meant she couldn't see the Winter Soldier. She wondered whether he would accompany them to wherever they were going to be taken. If Rumlow was there at the facility, though, she assumed he would be too.

Which brought her to Pietro. They were silently having breakfast – well, she was. Pietro had barely touched his food. He was still angry with her; she could easily sense it. She didn't blame him; how could she? But she needed him to understand, to be on her side. After everything that she had seen in the Winter Soldier's head, Wanda no longer felt safe. She didn't trust Hydra. If they had really erased those memories from his mind, who's to say they weren't going to the same to her or Pietro? But Wanda had to get evidence, and as she sat there thinking of all the ways the three of them could escape, she realized that only evidence could convince Pietro. And it lay in Doctor List's office.

She placed her fork down and softly cleared her throat, enough for Pietro to shift his face a bit to look at her.

"I need you to do something for me," she started.

"What?" he deadpanned.

Wanda bit her bottom lip. "The doctor will see you later today. When he's done, I'll cause a… a distraction. And you will use your speed to go back to his office and read the Winter Soldier's file. I need you to do that so you'll understand. That – that we're not safe here, Pietro," she whispered at the end.

He scoffed, shaking his head. "What the hell are you rambling on about? Are you out of your mind, Wand?"

"No, Pietro, listen to me," she pressured. "I saw into his head, and there's memories there that he cannot remember. That he's not _allowed_ to remember."

Pietro simply rolled his eyes. "He's an assassin, Wanda, what did you expect?"

"No, no, it's not like that –" Wanda paused, reminding herself to keep her voice low. "Before he became… what…. he is. When he didn't have his metal arm."

That caught his attention, but only slightly. He leaned more against the table. "You mean before he joined Hydra?"

"I don't think he _joined_ Hydra, not like us." When he said nothing, she continued. "But they've made it impossible for him to remember his life before Hydra. And I think he even…" Wanda shuddered at the thought of the man falling off the train. "Look, Pietro. They messed with his head. That's why he is the way he is. I don't want either of us to end like him."

"And we're not, sister," he countered, which only exasperated Wanda. "We're both stronger that he is. He has strength; we have strength _and_ power. Nothing's bad gonna happen to us."

"Pietro –"

"Wanda, stop it," he hissed under his breath. "I'm warning you."

Fury was boiling underneath her, but she had to remain physically calm. She pushed aside her tray and reached over the table and grabbed onto his large hands, pulling him closer until their foreheads were inches away. She momentarily looked around the cafeteria to make sure no agents were paying attention to them.

"Brother. _Please_. We have to get away from here."

"They gave us our powers, Wand, how can we just up and leave?"

"Because they're going to screw with our minds just like the Winter Soldier!" Wanda whispered feverishly.

Pietro sighed. "I… Listen –"

She gripped his hands. "Just… read that file. It'll tell us all we need to know about him and what they've done to him."

She raised her eyes and still found doubt.

"Please, Pietro. It's all I'm asking," she said in their native tongue.

He sighed again and a couple of seconds drifted by until he gave in and nodded, squeezing her hands. Wanda's mouth twitched and she reached up to rub his pale cheek. Pietro didn't smile, but his eyes gave him away and he smacked her hand off him.

"What it is exactly you want me to do again?"

Wanda inhaled, so grateful for her brother. But she really was out of her mind.

* * *

While Doctor List had been examining for what seemed the hundredth time, the twins learned that they were to be transferred in three days' time to a different location. List wouldn't disclose where, except that it would a good thing for them. Wanda hummed at that, and then asked if the Winter Soldier was to remain their trainer.

"In three days, you won't even remember him," he mumbled with a smug smile.

Pietro hated to admit that his blood ran cold when he said that. But it did and made him glance at Wanda, who was equally shocked. They kept quiet the rest of the time, mostly to keep from backing out of the plan. Pietro thought it was very dense, not to mention stupid, but there seemed to no other way. Only he could do something without getting caught simply because he was too fast for everyone else to realize. He couldn't rescind, it was too late for that option. Nevertheless, it scared him immensely.

When List was done, he called in an agent to take them back to their rooms. Pietro flickered one last look at Wanda. With a tight lip, she nodded once. The twins rose and slowly started walking out the door into the hallway. Pietro stayed behind his sister, not bothering to raise his chin as he usually did when exiting List' office. He kept his shoulder scrunched over, little pieces of his silver hair pouring over his forehead. He licked his lips and waited for his sister to give him the sign.

Wanda suddenly grabbed the agent's arm and he yelped as Wanda began to talk in their native language. She was saying a prayer.

Pietro came to a standstill. Around him other agents sprang into action, lifting their guns but Wanda threw a red psionic hex at them, throwing them backwards. Pietro's stomach knotted; he just loathed leaving her there to fend for herself. But he couldn't worry about her. It was time for him to make a run for it. So, he did.

Everything became still. Agents scrambling to assist in controlling Wanda moved _ever_ so slowly. The men who Wanda had pushed up the wall were still in the process of falling back down. The hexes were floating in midair, forming a barrier between Wanda and the agents.

Pietro ran – well, walked, rather – back to the office, sliding past a befuddled Doctor List at the scene unravelling in front of him, and sighed relief when he found the raggedy file on top of the cabinet. He'd lie if he hadn't thought the possibility of the file not being there, but it was there and he didn't hesitate getting his hands on it.

He picked it up, revealing the name " _Зимний солдат_ (Winter Soldier)" on the cover among other faded stamps such as " _совершенно секретно_ (top secret)" and " _Свойство HYDRA_ (Property of HYDRA)".

He flipped open the file and at the top of the page there was a sepia picture of a man wearing a military uniform. The man oddly resembled the Winter Soldier, if he was normal-looking. He quickly scanned across the pages that followed, his eyes taking in every single word. His Russian was not that good but then it seemed like that didn't matter. He understood just enough, and he felt like he couldn't move.

On another page, there was an image of what did look like the Winter Soldier, except his eyes were closed and his surroundings seemed icy. Had they frozen him, to stop him from aging? … Because there was no way in hell that a man born in 1917 could look as young or agile as the Winter Soldier. Then there was the fact that he was best friends with Captain America… Fought in World War II…

Pietro slammed the file, deciding that he had memorized the information and wasted enough time. He put it back and ran back to where he was standing, and it was quiet for one more second before time rushed back in and out of nowhere Pietro was bull rushed into the wall, his wrists brought to his back. He twisted his head to see his sister, red eyes and red airy snakes slithering around her fingertips. Agents yelled at her to calm down. The twins locked eyes and Wanda immediately lowered her arms, allowing for the agents to clap her on the floor. Pietro flinched at the sound her body emitted upon hitting the floor, but he didn't move. He was too disturbed by what he had just read.

He didn't see his sister until the following afternoon during lunch – which was a good surprise, as she hadn't been there for breakfast and thus worried him. His insides rolled when he saw a blotchy red bruise on her right cheek. He wanted to say he was sorry, but she could've care less about her appearance.

"So? What did you find?" she asked eagerly.

Pietro stammered. How in the world could he even begin to process to tell her what he had read? Unfortunately, he still doubted it, even if it was all true. After the Avengers, _nothing_ was impossible. He knew that Captain America had been stuck in ice, and although it wasn't out of the question that his friend could've gotten the same treatment, he – not Captain America – ended up in Hydra.

"You were right. About everything really," he whispered.

Wanda held her breath.

Pietro sighed. "He was somebody before Hydra. He had a name, a friend… a life."

She gulped. "What was his name?"

"James Buchanan Barnes," he answered.

"James…" she murmured. He could practically see the boulders lift off her shoulders.

His voice stopped her from drifting off to wherever she had been thinking. "He's from Brooklyn, New York. He had siblings and he was in the US Army. And he had one friend there, Steve Rogers."

"Captain America. I knew it." Wanda muttered.

Umm? Pietro raised a brow. "Knew what?"

Wanda shut her eyes and shook her head, waving a dismissive hand. "I'll tell you later. So he was friends with the Captain. What else?"

"Don't you get it?"

She gave him a blank face.

"Wanda… that was 70 years ago,"

The color rushed from her cheeks, her eyes widening in surprise. " _What_?"

"He was born in 1917," Pietro stuttered out.

Wanda's eyes grew and she covered her mouth. He realized that she was on the verge of tears. Pietro gently took hold of her hands and held them, wanting to keep their eyes connected. They couldn't attract any attention.

"He fought with the Captain in World War II. He suffered an accident, Hydra helped him. They gave him the metal arm and some kind of super serum that was injected into the Captain. And he's been carrying out assassinations for them for the last half century."

Wanda was trembling. If he kept saying anything, she'd explode, so he decided that he had said what she needed to hear. He just held her cold hands, heads bowed down in silence for the rest of their break.

* * *

Wanda wasn't going to get a wink of sleep that night. All she could think about was the information her brother had given her. That the Winter Soldier, _James_ , had really been just another man. A man of a different time, of different principles and different views. He had fought for his country and did it alongside his best friend. Exactly how he ended up in the venomous grips of Hydra, she wasn't entirely sure. But from the memories she had seen, the accident that Pietro mentioned must have been when he fell off the train. At first there must've no way that he'd survive that steep fall, but then Pietro said that he been injected with the same super serum that made Captain America. The serum would have given him just enough strength to keep his heart beating, especially in subfreezing temperatures, but his arm… Perhaps his arm couldn't be saved. That is where Hydra comes in with the arm.

The question remained, however: how did he suddenly turn into a killing machine? What else did Hydra do to him? Were they doing the same things they were doing to her and Pietro? Training them and then mess with their head? But they also stopped him from aging. He was born in 1917, which meant he was nearing 100 but he looked not a day over 35. How did they manage to keep him young-looking? Wanda found it annoying that the information only peaked her curiosity further instead of giving her answers.

She was certain of one thing, though. She ached to tell the Winter Soldier – ahem, _James_ – the entire story. _His_ entire story. The true version of his life before he became a sadistic sort of robot. He deserved that much after all the blood he was forced to spill.

But she didn't know if he was still in the facility. She hadn't seen a hint of him, or Rumlow for that matter. She couldn't risk getting caught walking to his room. Not after the little show she had pulled. She could feel eyes on her whenever she was in the hallway. The agents were itching for her to do something, she realized. Most of the men actually found it pleasurable to put her down, even if it was out of boredom. She wouldn't be scared to admit that she, too, liked that she put them on edge. To see fear in them, who were clearly much bigger than her. She liked the control that she had had in those few seconds. It made her want to imagine how easily they could escape from the compound. In the end, she, Pietro and James had the power to kill every agent there. Not that she wished for it to happen, but it brought her ease that they had a last alternative.

Wanda was so much in thought that she failed to hear the click of her metal door. When she heard rustling, she flipped the sheets and jump out of the bed, hands tingling by her side to protect herself.

"Wanda? It's me," came the most heavenly voice she had ever heard.

"James?" she gasped.

Pause. "Who?" he asked.

Ignoring his confusion, she followed his voice and stood on her tippy-toes as she embraced him. He hadn't gone, not yet. He was still there. Thank goodness.

He easily picked her up, allowing her to circle her legs on his waistline. He buried his face into her shoulder blade, inhaling her scent. "I heard what you did yesterday and I just had to see if you were okay," he moaned.

She breathed him in, smelling soap from his hair. "I am now," she sighed.

They settled in her bed, never breaking away from each other's touch. Excitement ran through Wanda's body. She so desperately wanted to tell him everything but she held herself back, knowing the pain it would cause to remember so quickly. If he was programmed to not have memories of his past life, it would fight him in his efforts to get them back. And though Wanda wasn't sure if he was mentally strong enough to combat it, she had no choice but to do bring it up again. Slowly, if possible.

"Did they tell you that they're moving me and Pietro?"

He nodded, his chin moving against her scalp. "Yes."

"Will you be going with us?"

"I don't know."

A beat of silence passed by.

"Do you know where they're taking us?"

"No, but I wish I did."

Wanda closed her eyes as she pressed her face into his warm chest. She inhaled, wanting to remember his smell. Soap, metal, sweat.

"Why did you attack those agents?" he asked as he rubbed his fingers through her bed hair.

Wanda hesitated. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I had a reason to."

She felt his muscles tense against her cheek. "Go on."

She lifted her head from his hold and turned to look at him in the darkness. "I did that so Pietro would grab your file."

When he didn't respond, she went on. "It had everything about you. _Everything_. Your real name, where you lived, the day you were born, _everything_."

She grabbed his cold hands and put them into her lap, pulling him closer. "What Hydra has done to you, James – it's inhumane. They took an innocent man who was dying and brought him back as the Winter Soldier. They stole your life from you, James, or worse, your right to die! I know they're going to do the same to us which is why we must escape. Leave this place and never come back."

When Wanda finished, she expected for him to agree and kind of hoped that he had already sorted out some plan or idea. But it was the complete opposite. He just sat there, silently looking on into nothing. His flesh hand grew even more colder, and then it started to quiver. The mechanical plates in his metal arm elicited a soft whirring sound. He slowly removed his hands from her lap and stood up, walking backwards until he was against the wall. The moonlight from the small window hit half of his face, revealing his frozen blue eyes, no emotion written anywhere. He was frigid in place.

"James?"

His eyes immediately closed and she heard him swallow. Fists balled up, he said in a disconcerting tone, "Don't call me that."

Wanda's brows furrowed. "Why not? That's your name."

"No, it's not," he hissed.

Though it frightened her to see James suddenly acting so cold towards her, Wanda didn't back down. She approached him and attempted to touch his human hand. At this, he flinched and fisted it up. She then raised her head to fully look at him. It was obvious how much he was in distress. His breathing was uneven and there were little beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He _was_ trying to remember. No matter how much it hurt him, he was trying.

"James Buchanan Barnes. You feel like you've heard that name before. That's because it is _your_ name," she said softly.

He gritted his teeth, as if to keep from yelling. He was fighting whatever was trying to rise, but Hydra was suppressing it. Maybe her influence would help alleviate the pain. Wanda placed her palms, which began to glow scarlet red, on his heaving chest and –

A heavy metal hand gripped at her wrist.

"No, don't," he said roughly.

"Let me help you," Wanda coerced.

James' upper lip twitched into a half-smile. His metal hand drifted to her elbow while his human one found her hip. "I can't be rescued, Wanda. It's too late."

Wanda was shaken by his resolution. She felt tears threatening to burst. Her heart started beating rapidly. No, he was wrong. It isn't too late.

"Don't say that," she said slowly so he wouldn't hear her teeth teeter. "There's time. All three of us can escape."

"You and Pietro maybe…"

She stubbornly shook her head. "No, _all_ of us."

"Not me, Wanda. I've been dug in too deep."

"No," she moaned, hating how defeated he sounded. "No, no, James, no you're not."

He brought his human hand up to her cheek just as the first tears fell. It was warm now, warmer than she had ever felt it before. She couldn't believe it. He was accepting defeat. It couldn't end like this. She refused to give in. If Pietro of all people thought it possible for them to escape, then there really was a possibility. With their powers, they'd easily overpower everyone. Once free, they could clear James' name and taken down Hydra once and for all. Their freedom, their love, it was worth it.

"It won't be worth it if you end up dead, Wanda. I'd never live with myself if anything ever happened to you," he said.

Wanda was now sobbing. "But nothing _will_ , can't you see that? Nobody can stop us –"

James clutched her face and gave her a passionate kiss. Wanda moaned against his mouth. She seized his neck, pushing him as close as humanly possible. Lust enveloped their every sense, both desperate to be deep inside their mouth, no matter if it hurt. After several minutes, Wanda pulled away first, allowing for his lips to hover over hers. She licked her swollen lips to further taste him. They settled into stared at each other, love gleaming with evidence. Honest to God, how could she live without him?

"No matter what happens, just please know, I love you," James declared.

Wanda's throat dried up, but she managed to say the words. "And I love you."

* * *

 **A/N:** It all ends next chapter :( Updated a few days earlier because I hope to post the final chapter before Christmas. Once again thank you for reading!


	9. Chapter Eight

**A/N:** Happy holidays to my readers! Now for the finale, fasten your seatbelts: this is 8.5k words-long. Also putting up a **WARNING** for physical and mental abuse/torture and sexual assault.

* * *

Doctor List sat quietly across from von Strucker in his office, looking around aimlessly at anything but the Baron. He had been yanked from his lab at von Strucker's request, and he knew exactly why. He nervously tugged at the sleeve of his white coat all the while trying to keep a straight face. His boss was most certainly not happy – he could practically feel the building heat of his anger just a few feet away.

After hearing about Wanda Maximoff's sudden violent outburst against Hydra agents, von Strucker's fury nearly blindsided him into putting his hands on the girl. Luckily, List had gotten word before von Strucker ever stepped inside the room that held Miss Maximoff. He had been able to semi-calm his boss down by reminding him that Alexander Pierce would've not appreciated such behavior from a top Hydra official. von Strucker huffed and slid past him without saying another thing, and though another possible crisis had been averted, there was now newfound uncertainty.

It was a total mystery as to why Miss Maximoff attacked out of nowhere. Everything had been going so well; the physical training, the development of her powers. There had been no warning signs – and there were no reasons for it. The trigger of her caprice was unknown. If List were to bet on which twin would've rebelled first, he'd put his money on the boy, Pietro. It just wasn't in Miss Maximoff's nature to act so hysterical.

The fact that she did not only revealed a huge issue, but it also exposed the unpreparedness of the agents in charge of the facility. She had been able to easily hex seven armed men into the air like they were toys, and the fight would've lasted longer than it did had she not abruptly paused. She _allowed_ the agents subdue her, and it scared the shit out of Doctor List. He was very aware of her capabilities, yet he had never imagined the risk of Miss Maximoff – or her brother – going rogue.

The likelihood of that became crystal clear to Doctor List, the unexpected realization that they didn't have a way to keep their abilities in check. Their only way to absolute control was using their brain against them, but with their powers, could some sort of immunity exist within them? They wouldn't know until the twins actually went through the cleansing, but even, would it work? If it took Hydra nearly 15 years to finally seize every corner of the Winter Soldier's brain, what was in store for Hydra to take control the minds of two superhumans?

List knew von Strucker was asking himself these same questions. For the first time ever throughout the process, the Baron was having doubts. If Miss Maximoff was to attack again during the transfer ride to the United States and escape, it would spell out disaster for Hydra. They just couldn't risk releasing the twins to the world without exerting total mind-control on them. They were weapons of mass destruction and if put into the wrong hands, Hydra and their allies could come crashing down by the millions, no question in an effort led by SHIELD and the Avengers themselves.

And the blame would fall ultimately on the shoulders of the Baron and Doctor List.

von Strucker sighed and he rubbed his tired eyes with one hand. List still kept his eyes away from his boss, the prolonging silence raising his anxiety level.

"I know what you're going to say," he started and it got List's attention. "That the twins pose a danger to Hydra. That sending them to America could jeopardize everything."

List opened his mouth to confirm, but closed it and instead nodded.

von Strucker released a noise of disbelief. "Well. You're wrong."

List's eyes became saucers. "What?"

von Strucker straightened his spine and sat up in his leather chair, the bags under his eyes becoming more dark in the light. He laid his rough wrinkly hands flat on his chair and in a low, serious tone, he said, "They'll be unconscious during the entire transfer. I had already been discussing that with Pierce before Miss Maximoff's little temper tantrum. I won't lie and say she hasn't bared herself as a hazard, because she has and it does have me on edge. But once they leave here, they're Pierce's problems and not ours anymore." He then added, "So whatever little speech you had planned on telling me that we shouldn't send them, you can forget about it."

List's mouth formed a small O-shape. He hadn't formed a speech, though he was right that he did want to delay the transfer. And he certainly hadn't expected that kind of solution, or quite frankly, any, from him. But the Baron spoke with such determination and finality that List found himself nodding to show his support. To have the twins drugged and unconscious worked in their favor, and of course whatever issues they would've had with the twins would now jump to Pierce and the Americans.

"I think that's the most intelligent thing you've said to me in a while," List admitted.

von Strucker raised a brow, his shoulders relaxing against his chair. He rolled his eyes. "You will administer them the proper medication,"

"Yes, of course. A small dose of anesthesia is all they need," List said matter-of-factly.

"Good," von Strucker replied, even though he wasn't really listening to List. Like the doctor, he was suddenly eyeing random things, deep in thought. "The sooner we get rid of them, the better," he muttered.

List fidgeted in his seat. "Yes," he concurred.

When his boss said no more, List shuffled to stand up, but then stopped midway.

"Oh, and… I haven't told Pierce about Miss Maximoff," He paused. "I want to keep it that way," von Strucker instructed.

"Are you sure?"

Hesitation flashed over von Strucker's face for a second, but he quickly hid it with assertion. "Yes. Should Miss Maximoff prove to be difficult to manage, then it shouldn't be traced to the facility."

List nodded again, once again caught by surprise that he was agreeing with the Baron. "As you wish."

* * *

Wanda was jolted awake by the lights flickering on in her room, followed by the metal door scrapping the floor as it was opened. A uniformed Rumlow walked in and stopped at the edge of her bed, not bothering to wait to see if she could process his words in her sleepy state. Wanda fumbled with her sheets, bringing them to her chin. She didn't want him, or any of the guards standing outside her door to get a glimpse of her nightgown.

"Miss Maximoff, you're aware that you're going to be transported to a different location?"

Wanda's eyes flickered to the lingering armed guards, then at Rumlow. She silently nodded.

A gun-toting guard stepped in, dropped a pair of clothes and casual tennis shoes next to her covered feet, and retreated. Rumlow pointed at the clothes as he said, "Change into that; you won't need anything else."

She was then left alone. Wanda sat there for a couple seconds, trying to rub off any leftovers of her sleep. She wondered about her brother, about James. Pietro would be with her the whole way, but what about James? He didn't know if he would be going along to wherever they were going, and it seemed that he doubted it. He had also failed to convince Wanda that escaping was too risky. It wasn't – not when her brother and James' lives were in the balance. There was no way that she would do what Hydra wanted of her. They had given her powers, but they didn't control her life. They wanted her to commit heinous crimes that would work in Hydra's favor, but what about the rest of the world? They were against the Avengers, and even though Wanda would make it no secret that she too harbored a vendetta against them, she couldn't overlook their contribution to protecting the planet. Hydra was the opposite of the Avengers, no matter how much they attempted to twist her head into thinking _they_ were the do-gooders. She and Pietro needed out, before they got in too deep like James. But unlike James, who didn't have a chance to decide, they did. And Wanda wanted to exercise that right before it was too late.

She hadn't mentioned it to James, but she decided that their only window of opportunity was during the transfer. By car, train, airplane, it didn't matter what. She and Pietro had to escape by any means, and if James wasn't coming with them, then she'd come back for him once they were free. Wanda's patience had finally run out. Whereas she was once thankful for Hydra for rescuing her brother and she from poverty, Wanda now only felt intense hatred. They were her savior and her doom.

Wasting no more time, she quickly tossed aside her nightgown and into the grey sweatshirt and black workout leggings. She smoothened out her brown mane behind her ears, tied on her shoes, inhaled once to calm her nerves, and twisted the large door handle. She was met with Rumlow's broad back, who had been standing guard. He turned around, looked at her once, and then stepped to the side. In front of her was Pietro, wearing the same exact outfit. Two taller armed guards blocked her view to see him entirely. Her face instantly became less tensed, her stomach unknotting a bit.

But before she could take another step, Rumlow was suddenly right back across from her. His hand shot up to roughly push her hair back and he grabbed onto the side of her slim neck with a confused expression. Wanda gasped, a cold skinny hand flying to clutch his wrist on instinct. Her powers were already on alert; she had to pull back the hex that was building on her fingertips.

"What is this mark on your neck?" Rumlow questioned, his grip constricting ever so slightly.

"Uh what –!" Wanda yelped. She had no idea as to what he was referring to, but still she tried to remain neutral. She wanted to look at Pietro, but she maintained eye contact with Rumlow. If he became more violent, then Wanda would have no choice but defend herself and she needed to know when to attack.

Rumlow squinted and brought her closer to his face, his breathing hitting Wanda's cheek as she flinched. She felt the pad of his thumb brusquely rubbing on that part of her skin back and forth.

"Is – is that a bite mark?" he asked incredulously.

Wanda skirmished under his hold, but Rumlow wouldn't budge. For a second, she was befuddled. She had no clue as to what Rumlow was referring to. Why would she have a bite mark on her neck?

Then she remembered. Last night, in her room. After they had declared their love for each other, Wanda had begged James to stay a couple minutes longer. He obeyed, and the entire time their bodies were glued together. James' mouth, hands, and arms had been all over her, as if to remind himself of her touch and the feeling of her skin. He had bit into the curve of her neck, but it hadn't been painful, and Wanda surely didn't think it would've left any traces.

Wanda's focus shifted momentarily to Pietro, and a fierce shiver overtook her body. Her hand suddenly felt numb as it slipped from Rumlow's wrist. Pietro gave her an alarmed and almost regretful rivet. Wanda's throat went dry, even though Rumlow had removed his hand from her neck.

Rumlow's eyes darkened and his voice became low and menacing. "How did you get that?"

Wanda gulped. She couldn't tear her stare from her brother. Fear began to seep into her brain. She was paralyzed; she didn't know how to respond. She certainly couldn't tell him the truth behind the bite mark. What could she say?!

"Umm –" Wanda sputtered, her lower lip quivering in agony.

Rumlow followed her eyes to Pietro, and once they were locked on the other Maximoff, his face twisted into anger and disgust.

 _Sick fuck_ , Rumlow though.

It was loud enough for Wanda to hear it, and immediately her head snapped at the agent. Her eyes popped open in shock; did Rumlow think she had gotten it from Pietro, her twin brother? It seemed that way because Pietro looked defiant in his stance, further infuriating Rumlow. She was about to defend her brother when Rumlow's yells rung over her ears. In one swift move, he had positioned himself behind Wanda, pinning her arms onto her back and securing them with hinged handcuffs.

He flicked his chin towards Pietro. "Lock him back in his room! And someone get Doctor List!"

Wanda had a moment to gasp before in a blink of an eye, she was being dragged away from her room, from Pietro. She watched an agent sneak up behind Pietro – she screamed, "No!", but it came out more like a low cry, not loud enough for him to hear it. The agent hit him on the shoulder with a long taser-like stick, rendering him unconscious and convulsing as huddles of agents pushed him back into his room.

Rumlow ran in front of her, yelling at people to get out of the way. She was carried by two armed men by her underarms, her shoes sweeping against the floor under her.

"Let me go! Please!" she cried.

Wanda's cheeks were streaked with tears at the sight of her brother being electrocuted. She was being rushed to Doctor List's examination room, and all she could clearly think about was James.

Wherever he was, she prayed to God he wasn't there at the facility. She prayed that he was gone, away from the pain that was going to befall her. Rumlow wasn't stupid, and perhaps neither was Doctor List. Rumlow knew there was only one way for her to get _that_ type of bite mark, and although he had been wrong in targeting Pietro as the source of the mark, he still knew the reason behind it.

Wanda had been interacting with only two men. They'd immediately rule out Pietro, leaving them with just James. The Winter Soldier. Their secret would be outed. After nearly getting away with it.

She had assumed in a time like this, her abilities would emerge as powerful as ever. But she was so frozen in consternation, devastated by seeing her brother taken down, that she was simply unable to build up anything. She didn't have any time to conjure up a hex or move objects around the agents – she was sobbing recklessly and trashing her body to shake off the agents. It didn't do any good, and then she was thrown on the hospital bed so hard that it momentarily shook her senses. When she regained them, long strands of her hair were strewn across her face. Her shackled arms were kept pinned behind her, and the weight of her body sent tremors of pain. It was worsened by agents shoving her shoulders back, pressing her into the bed.

Her vision became so clouded that at first, she couldn't distinguish Doctor List from the other agents in the room. Then she heard his raspy old voice, full-on accented like hers.

"Take off her pants," he demanded.

Wanda drew in a sharp breath as she instantly brought her legs together. "No, no, don't _touch_ me!"

As if everyone in the room had suddenly gone deaf, her legs were promptly pried open and her leggings were ripped off, cruelly exposing her legs and underwear to a room jammed of men. Wanda cried out; she tried to shake off her left ankle, causing the agent to lose his grip on it. She kneaded him in the face, causing the agent to grab his chin in agony and fall on his ass. Another agent swooped in behind him and snake his hand on her ankle with indescribable pressure. At the same time, Wanda saw the man holding onto her right wrist raise his gloved hand and a slap rung throughout the room.

Wanda's neck took a sharp left upon impact. Her cheek was left aching, but it wasn't enough to mercilessly knock her out. Through wet eyelashes, she looked to see her bare legs. She had never felt so much shame. She wanted to cross her legs in a lame way of hiding her privates, but she didn't have the chance as her ankles were forcibly grabbed and spread apart. Tears streamed out of the corners of her eyes, terror swelling up in every part of her half-naked body.

"Please, please no – _Stop_!" she sobbed, falling on deaf ears.

Her eyes rolled over. Bile threatened to rise from her throat, the pull to remain conscious threading ever so closer to giving out. She felt like a cow ready to be slaughtered, a dead frog getting dissected on a school lab. She felt utterly revealed, so degraded, useless, defeated, _dead_. Everything good she had known couldn't hold a light to the current debauchery. To them, she was _nothing_. Death would be a mercy compared to this inhumane anatomization, this open dismemberment of a human being, and they certainly wouldn't give that to her. No, she was their experiment – how could've she forgotten that?

Doctor List sat in between her legs. As he smacked on his gloves, two of his assistants brought a sheet over Wanda's abdomen and held it there so not to allow the agents a view of what List was going to examine.

" _No, no, no, no,_ " Wanda bawled.

The doctor grabbed a pair of scissors and slowly cut free her underwear. Wanda heaved at the cold touch of the blade as it cut upwards. The last barrier of her virtue, literally ripped off. No longer was James the only man to ever see _her_ , no longer the only man to touch her _there_. Once the underwear was removed, she was surrounded by the chilly air and Wanda closed her eyes shut. She was going to die, she could just feel it. Sometimes experiments failed, and she was turning to be one of the failures. She was going to die – if not by Hydra, then by her own immobilized horror. There was only so much shock and panic a person could take before their heart would give out from the sheer pressure of it. Wanda's chest rose and fell so rapidly she felt it could rip open.

With a small flashlight in his mouth, Doctor List went under the sheet and his hands heaved inside Wanda's private opening. She instantly gasped loudly at his touch and another lone tear fell from her eyelash, a gasp caught in the middle of her throat. Yes, she was going to die.

Doctor List's fingers dug into her, and one particular movement provoked a moan not of pleasure by any logical means, but of torturous pain. She tried wiggling her legs, but the grip on her ankles grew until Wanda was certain that it would bruises. The same compression was mounted on her shoulders, which in response crushed her arms underneath her back. She whimpered as she kept feeling the doctor's hand inside of her. She suddenly focused on the surgical lighthead on top of her. It wasn't on, but she knew how bright it was when on. She wondered if she died, was a light as bright as the lighthead engulf her? Would the afterlife be filled with a bright light? Was there even an afterlife? Would she be "qualified" for it?

As rough and revolting as Doctor List had violated her, the ugly sensation disappeared. List removed his fingers from her. The assistants dropped the sheet on her, covering her abdomen and most of her legs. Doctor List was giving her a bewildered scowl that left Wanda afraid. She waited with baited breath.

"You're no longer a virgin," he stated.

Wanda's blood ran deathly cold. She swallowed hard to keep from throwing up.

List's dark brows furrowed, his long wrinkly nose twitching. "With whom did you have sexual relations with?"

"Her brother!" Rumlow barked, throwing a hand at her direction.

Wanda's eyes flicked at the man standing directly behind Doctor List. When did _he_ show up? Had Rumlow been there the entire time?

"No!" Wanda howled – she wouldn't _dare_ be accused of incest. Just the thought made her gag. "It wasn't my brother!"

Rumlow cowered back a bit, but his exasperation was still plastered on his face. List raised one wary brow at her, and Wanda realized her guilty admission as soon as the words left her lips.

"Then _who_ , Miss Maximoff?" List pressured.

Wanda, seeing everyone's attention – List, Rumlow, the assistants – boring holes into her, she shrank back. She sniffled, but didn't bother to say anything. She wouldn't out James. They could torture her all they wanted, but she would never reveal it to them. They could do whatever they wanted – she didn't care, not anymore. She'd had had enough. Absolutely nothing they could say would let her put the blame on James. She and James had risked _so_ much – it couldn't, wouldn't end like this. They weren't worthy of it, anyways. She'd die first before they could inflict hurt on James.

Wanda remained tight-lipped, even as her tears betrayed her by spilling over her reddened cheeks. She would not give in.

Empty minutes ticked by, and Doctor List began growing impatient.

"Miss Maximoff, it won't do you – or your brother, for that matter – any good to stay quiet. You _must_ tell us with whom you carried a sexual relationship."

Wanda just shook her head. Once, she'd thought she could only die for her twin brother. He had been the only family left in the earth. She could only live for him, and thus die for him if it was necessary. Now she could add a name to that prestigious list. She'd die for James Buchanan Barnes, the love of her life. Her mother had told her that she thought dying for someone you loved, who loved you back, was the most beautiful and tragic death of all. Now that Wanda found herself in that situation, she agreed with her. It was beautiful, because only love could make such a permanent ending so romantic, and tragic, because their love couldn't continue.

Doctor List exhaled through his nose, a look of disappointment forming. He slowly stripped his gloves from his hand and was about to say something when a light bulb went off in Rumlow's head. He lightly put a palm on List's shoulder, stopping him from getting up, and whispered, "What about the Asset?" The same realization seemed to lighten up List, who resumed questioning Wanda.

"Was it the Winter Soldier? Was it the Winter Soldier, Miss Maximoff?" List said in a confounded tone.

Wanda inhaled softly at the sound of James' Hydra name. The tears on her cheeks and lips suddenly dried up. Her jaw instinctively tightened, but she tried to hide it by shaking her head twice. Rumlow didn't fall for it one bit.

"It _was_ him," he acknowledged. "That son of a bitch…"

Wanda's defenses rose. "No, no! It wasn't him either!"

Rumlow ignored her pleas and instead directed two fingers at the men pushing back on Wanda's shoulders, "You two, come with me."

List, always in his own little world, bobbed his head back and forth. "Not again," he murmured.

Wanda, wild eyes flashing from Rumlow and his men retreating from the room to List and his assistants rushing to cover her decency, contemplated her next move. They were either going to von Strucker, or going after James. Which meant that he could still be in the facility. No, she couldn't let that happen. He didn't deserve any more pain. She couldn't bear to live if she was the cause of that pain. They couldn't get to him. She had to stop him – but how?! Her arms were tied behind her back and she didn't know where her brother was. What if they were torturing him?

Her ankles were set free, and Wanda turned to see the two agents who had had gripped her ankles following Rumlow. This allowed for the assistants to stumble on a new pair of pants on her. With her back screaming in agony, she pushed herself up and without another second to pass, she knew what she had to do. The only possibility of stopping Rumlow from wherever he was heading to.

As soon as the pants were slipped on, Wanda mustered every strength she had within her and aimed at the heavy handcuffs on her wrists. Red snakes emerged from her fingertips and the handcuffs slipped with a soft thud on the bedsheets. Her arms were free, and she jumped from the hospital bed. She raised her hands and sent a hex towards List and the assistants, sending them flying backwards to the cement walls.

Turning on her heel, Wanda delivered hex after hex at every single Hydra agent in her sight. Bodies were flung into the air, allowing for Wanda to scan the chaotic environment for the men running after Rumlow. She was about to take off in a chase, but then someone caught her from behind. Wanda felt electricity in her veins, her body warming at a rapid pace. She couldn't keep her eyes open and she opened her mouth, although she couldn't form a sound. Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it was going to explode. And then she collapsed, unable to sustain the excruciating pain.

* * *

Brock Rumlow and his band of armed Hydra operatives raced to one of the facility's underground chambers. As they scoured the barren hallways, Rumlow used his earpiece to shout out demands that Baron von Strucker be alerted of the compromised Wanda Maximoff. His large combat boots stomped against the cold, dirty floor, the sound of this combined with the men behind him sending off vibrations that the Winter Soldier and his handler heard hundreds of feet away in a secluded, dimly-lit room. The handler was amid helping the Winter Soldier put on his tactical vest when Rumlow burst through the door.

The look on his face could only be described as annoyingly perplexed laced with hot fury. The handler, a miniature of a man when standing to the Winter Soldier, immediately stepped back with an aghast expression. The Winter Soldier, in contrast, simply raised an eyebrow. This only seemed to feed into Rumlow's rage, who then proceeded to cross the entire room in five strides and land a bare-knuckled sucker punch on the Winter Soldier's stubble-covered cheek.

"You fuckin' idiot!" Rumlow hollered.

His army of agents hastily swarmed around them, submachine guns raised and pointing directly at the Winter Soldier, whose face remained sideways after receiving the punch. He was stilled in place, his shaggy hair offering a cover to the wrath boiling in the pit of his gut. Rumlow dropped his arm and belted a noise of aggravation, disregarding the searing pain throbbing on his knuckles.

"You _fuckin'_ idiot," Rumlow repeated. "I cannot believe that you'd be _stupid enough_ to get involved with a _girl_ – let alone, one of the _experiments_! Are you _fuckin'_ _kiddin'_ me?"

The Winter Soldier's burgeoning violent outbreak on Rumlow was abruptly put off by a tremor running through his spine. The hairs on the back of neck flicked up. The atmosphere surrounding him became torched in a heatwave. He could no longer feel the punch; it was a poke compared to the whiplash he was feeling throughout his body.

Only one name rung in his head, was on the tip of his tongue.

Wanda.

"Hey – hey, look at me when I'm talking to you!" Rumlow berated. And then he forcibly seized the Winter Soldier's chin to make him face him.

In the next instant, the assassin's bionic arm flexed over Rumlow's hand and shoved it away. Rumlow stumbled backwards, defensively raising both arms in the air as all the agents positioned their guns with fingers centimeters from the trigger. The Winter Soldier stared at Rumlow, fists clenched at his sides and teeth gritting so hard it widened his jawline.

"Woah, calm down! The only one at fault is you, you know? You should've never gotten involved with her. Would've saved you and her a whole lotta trouble," Rumlow sneered.

"I haven't done anything," the Winter Soldier slowly seethed, emphasizing on every word.

Rumlow merely scoffed. "Oh, don't _even_. She tried to do the same, act like it wasn't you when it was clear as day. And now, because of your screwing around, we have to restart the whole program again."

The Winter Soldier frowned just slightly, though he did not drop his glare.

"What does that mean?"

Rumlow gave him a snide smile. "It means we gotta turns your brains into mush and restart the whole fuckin' process again."

Something in the Winter Soldier snapped. The image of Wanda suffering was his worst nightmare, and he would be damned to ever let that happen. She wouldn't be put in misery, not while he was alive and loving her. A wave of emotion flooded his mind and everyone who wasn't Wanda was his enemy. He took a quick gander at Rumlow and the men in the room. There were many, perhaps too many for him. But he could take them. With Wanda at risk, he could take anything. She needed him now more than ever, and for the first time since he could remember, he finally wasn't afraid of Hydra. All he truly cared about was Wanda and her safety. Knowing that _he_ could provide that, uncovered such strength, determination and willpower from within him.

His metal arm whirred, and in one swift swing, he retightened it and hurled himself onto Rumlow. They fell onto the ground with a deafening slam; he didn't even flinch at the sound of Rumlow's head pounding down. Gripping his neck with his human hand, he heaved a punch with his metal knuckles. Rumlow's head flipped to the side and blood immediately flew from his mouth. The Winter Soldier then chucked himself up and threw another blow at the first agent he saw, but then his vision became blurry. It was followed by an abundant prickling of pain and he fell on his back, near Rumlow who was half-dizzy and being carried away. The Winter Soldier coughed once, his eyes threatening to close as the agents huddled around him and pressed their guns' tips into his personal space amongst the smoke. His muscles were tensed and his breathing was short. He wanted to stand up, but he couldn't move an inch, and eventually it got impossible to stay conscious.

* * *

On just one hand, Wanda could count the people whom she loved with all her soul, people who represented the good in her life, people whom she'd do anything to protect from danger, people who she would give her own life to let them live.

For the first eighteen years of her existence, it had been only her parents and her twin brother Pietro. Those three were undisputed – they were her family, her flesh and blood. And quite frankly, after she and Pietro had volunteered for Hydra, she suspected it would remain with those three till the end.

Thus, Wanda considered James a miracle. Her own personal miracle. The fourth person who had sneaked up out of nowhere to claim the spot, and her heart.

James came at a point in her life when she had practically ruled out love. It wasn't allowed, so Wanda had no intentions of going against them. The only person left in the world she loved was Pietro – that was risky enough. The focus was avenging their parents' deaths, nothing else. That's why they willingly volunteered, and once they survived and gained otherworldly powers, the only other important thing to them was one another. The less strings they had attached to emotions to the outside world, the better they would be off. The irony of it all is that her possible end would come from within the Hydra facilities.

Through closed lids, Wanda could feel the searing fluorescent lights casting on her. She stirred, muscles slowly losing its rough tense. She tried expanding her body, but she couldn't. There was something in the way; her wrists, ankles and neck were locked in place by metal cuffs. Wanda flinched as she opened her eyes and the lights grew, momentarily blinding her.

She licked her chapped lips, finding her throat dry like sandpaper. Her cheek still burned; as a matter of fact, her entire body burned. Her latest memories flooded back into her mind like a tsunami, drowning her in sorrows. Wanda frantically looked at her surroundings; she was strapped tightly to a bed amongst the faded cement walls.

Pietro laid in the same position on her left in a separate bed. His eyes were closed, as if he was sleeping but Wanda knew better. They had put him down in the same manner as her. On his neck was a black shock collar, a single small blue light going on and off in the center. Wanda gulped, and the sensation of her throat touching a cold metal barrier made her realize she had the same thing on.

Wanda immediately got emotional seeing the state of her twin brother.

" _Oh, Pietro… I'm so sorry_ ," she whispered in their native language.

She looked away, not able to take it in, and closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling. She couldn't imagine what would be done to them – mainly, to her. She didn't how to spare Pietro though, who was completely innocent. He had warned her to stay away from James, and she hadn't listened. She needed to save him, if it were the last thing she'd do. At least it would bring her some comfort that she could manage to protect her brother, when she couldn't for James. Pietro was the strongest of the two, anyways – unlike her, he was more fitted for the world that waited for him.

There was sudden shuffling of footsteps. Wanda's eyes bolted open and a tremor rocked her body. She twisted her head as much as she could to the source of the sound, and saw the Baron giving her the most intense, contempt-filled glare, and the fact that he was sporting a monocle over his left eye only made him appear more sinister.

von Strucker's lip curled as he said, "Ah, the witch has awoken."

The door slammed shut behind him. Wanda bit down on the tip of her tongue and her insides rolled at the hearing that slanderous nickname. No matter how sickly evil he seemed at that moment, she wasn't going to look away. She wouldn't give him that benefit.

Without breaking eye contact, he slowly started walking to her. It reminded her of animal stalking its prey. He was the hungry cheetah, she the helpless deer.

Hands tied behind his lower back, he started, "When I was told that you and our Asset had been caught in compromising position, I thought to myself, 'No, they wouldn't have done something so reckless, so stupid and idiotic.'" He dramatically paused and shot her daggers. "It angers – no, _infuriates_ me to see that I was wrong."

Wanda remained silent with tight lips. She resisted blinking – she needed to follow von Strucker's every move.

He came to a stop in between she and Pietro. He blocked off Pietro's upper body, which brought on immense discomfort for Wanda. Still, she had her eyes locked at von Strucker, and even dared to try and stick her chin out. von Strucker scoffed mixed with laughter, and he untangled his hand to bring them down on each side of Wanda's head. She felt claustrophobic and for the first time since he entered the room, she had to look away to see where he was putting his hands. Sweat started forming on her forehead.

von Strucker lowered his head and whispered into her ear, "Because of _you_ , I could've lost my job. Because of _you_ , you nearly jeopardized the Asset. Because of _you_ , the program has been set back for at least a year. Because of _you_ , you've nearly endangered Hydra. Because of _you_ , everything's been _fucked_ straight to hell," he spat out viciously.

Wanda recoiled far as she could manage, her skin stinging from the sharp breath that hit her in the ear. The Baron's anger fervor was so barefaced, so mistakable, that she found it extremely hard to maintain eye contact. She had never seen such cold dark blue eyes directed at her. She didn't have to read his mind to know that he was trying with all his might to keep sane.

"All my hard work, _gone_. We have to start from the beginning all over again, and do you know how long that's going to take, huh?" He didn't bother to let her answer. "We were gonna only wipe some things from you, just to see you'd react and progress. Now we're gonna have to wipe _everything_. And not just you, but your brother too."

von Strucker backed away, even though it appeared he wanted to say more. He wiped his lower lip with the back of his hand and took quick strides to the other side of her bed.

Wanda let out a soft gasp once he was out of her personal space, and briefly closed her eyes again to stop tears from falling. She reminded herself to remain calm, and to never let Pietro out of her sight. He was her only source of normality, something she needed to cling onto in her possible last moments.

Without saying another word, von Strucker pressed a bottom from beneath the bed and suddenly the bed began rising upwards, stopped, and then moved forward so that Wanda was now standing up vertical cuffed to the bed. In front of her was a large rectangular window that nearly took up the wall. It allowed her to see into the next room – a man with his head hungover his shoulders. Wanda's heart dropped to her feet when she realized exactly who he was.

James, wearing a grey tank top which exposed the fine lines between his skin and where his bionic arm's tissue started near his collarbone, sat motionless in the dark room. His wrists and forearms were constricted by three-inch wide metal bound cuffs. Above his head was the infamous Hydra memory suppressing machine. It was on, as rays of energy flickered back and forth from one large pad to the other. His dark hair fell over him, making it impossible for Wanda to check if he was conscious or not.

It took all her strength not to bawl right there. It broke her into a million pieces to see the love of her life so wasted, defeated and ruined. She wanted to rub her palms on his dark tresses, place them behind his ears so she could see his beautiful face, and kiss him. She wanted to tell him the honest truth, that it wasn't going to be okay, but that she simply loved him. That no matter what Hydra was going to do to them, they'd somehow find each other, perhaps in another time, another life. He'd always been in her heart, and she in his, because that's where they belonged. In each other's hearts.

Wanda's attention then trailed from James' derelict figure to the machine hanging inches from his head. It appeared like an omen, ready to strike at his victim's most vulnerable state. It was the machine that Hydra heavily leaned on to continue on living. Used to turn people into animals, controlling them in every psychological facet of the human brain. It worked to remove James' memories and make loyal strictly to Hydra. And if she understood von Strucker correctly, they would exercise that machine's hands onto Wanda and her brother.

von Strucker paced to the window, arms neatly folded behind his uniformed back. He stared at James before turning to Wanda with a frightening smile. "It shouldn't take long to get back _the_ Asset. It'll be a bit harder for you and your brother, but it shouldn't pose that much a problem."

Wanda's eyes narrowed at the Baron. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice raspy.

His smirk deepened. "He's going to forget you ever existed. _You_ are going to forget he ever existed."

James' neck raised by just a centimeter, but it was enough movement to distract Wanda from burning holes into von Strucker. His broad shoulders shrugged back, his fists unclenched, and his face slowly looked up and a pair of light blue eyes found itself Wanda. She breathed a sigh of relief before she could stop herself, but it was too late, and it caught von Strucker's attention.

"He can hear us, but we can't hear him," he added, clearly miffed by the looks of remedy they gave each other.

Wanda hadn't even heard the Baron – she was focused entirely on James. Oh, how she yearned to hold him. To return to their nightly visits when he held her in silence, her ear laid over his chest, right next to his beating heart. It beat only for her, he whispered against her hair. She said the same thing about her own little heart – it called for James, for his love and willpower to stay alive amidst the horrors surrounding him at every turn. She had never met someone so courageous as him, someone so passionate and full of life despite the deaths that he was forced to commit. She was a whole new person because of him, better and more knowledgeable, and she desperately wanted him to know that. Their love hadn't been in vain; in fact, it worked to their advantage, because a powerful emotion such as endless love can never be tainted and twisted.

The glint in his blue eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching in a sad smile, wrecked Wanda. It was almost as if he was telling her she was going to be okay, that he would be the one punished. She shook her head, a heavy lump in the base of her throat.

"Consider this alteration of your mind a mercy because that's what I am giving you – a _mercy_ ," von Strucker seethed. "Hydra needs the Asset and the twins, so you should actually be thankful for that."

James' jaw locked and his teeth gritted, fists once again balled until they turned a pale white. He shot von Strucker an intense glare, and when he slightly moved against the metal cuffs as if to signal he was about to fly from the chair, von Strucker wasted no time. He revealed a handgun from inside his uniform, cocked it and pointed it at Wanda. James instantly paused. His fists were no longer white and his face was softening.

"You disobey again, and I'll put a bullet in her," the Baron threatened.

Wanda gulped at not the threat, but the cold tip of the handgun teasing at her temple. Her eyes were saucers, blood freezing up in her veins. She wasn't scared – no, she was _pissed off_. At that moment, she felt a power surge expanding crazily from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. Out of nowhere, her vision turned into the clearest she could ever see as she saw her own reflection on the window pane. Her irises were glowing red. The psionic hexes were rushing from her core to her fingertips, anxious to be released.

And then the shock collar around her neck activated. One single shock rocked her entire being. Wanda let out a choke – for a brief second, her windpipe had shut completely down. She struggled to breathe, even as her mouth was wide open from the jolt. She desperately wanted to clutch her throat, but not only were her limbs still locked, but she couldn't feel her muscles. She was enveloped by a heat wave, and if it weren't for James, she might've given in to unconsciousness.

"Oh, I forgot to mention – you will get shocked if you try to use your powers," von Strucker stated matter of factly with no enthusiasm although he was secretly feeling pleasure at the pain he was inflicting on them.

The ripples of energy quickly dissolved, but it left Wanda in a daze. Her head lolled a bit to the side, away from the murderous barrel of the handgun. She exhaled delicately, elated that she could breathe in again. Wanda propped herself up to look at James and regain her strength, but the grief and lamentation that she read from his expression was like von Strucker had shot her.

If there's one thing she would absolutely never allow him to feel, it would be regret. He couldn't regret letting her kiss him, regret going to her room late at night, regret falling in love with her and risking their goddamn lives. Their love was bigger than a pitiful feeling like regret. Their memories were about to be ripped away forever and Wanda wouldn't stand for James associating her and their love with regret.

Without hesitation, Wanda blurted out, "I love you."

James delivered her a half-smile that crushed Wanda, and he mouthed back, "I love you."

von Strucker snickered and rolled his eyes.

"Too bad you won't remember feeling that way," he commented as he lowered the handgun and slipped it into the inside pocket of his uniform.

The machine burst alive, its outspread tentacles lowering to James' head. The chair pulled him back as the two pads of the machine rested on each side of him, and there was a loud whirring noise as power started up.

James never broke eye contact from Wanda. Hair laid from his face as the chair brought him back, she saw him become very stilled, the muscles in his arms tightening. She had never seen him in fear, but words couldn't describe the agony that awaited him. He feared the force of the machine, and what it was aiming to do. But most of all, he feared that it would work like it had several times over the years. That he wouldn't be able to remember her.

Wanda's emotions cracked.

"No, no, please don't do it!" she cried to von Strucker, who wasn't even looking at her. He was gawking at James, a smirk plastered on his aging face.

"I'm _begging_ you! Please don't –"

She was interrupted by the worst bone-chilling screams she ever heard. They were excruciating screams, covered in agony and anguish. He was being tortured in one of the most inhumane ways known to mankind, and with all the powers Wanda held, she couldn't do a damn thing about it. All she could do was stand there, secured like him, and sob as the misery continued and his yells continued to ring through the intercom. It was so blaring that the window vibrated.

Wanda didn't know how many times she needed to feel useless. She believed she had rewritten the definition of that word when she was trapped for two days under the rubble of her home with an unexploding shell planted feet from her. Witnessing the love of her life getting his memories suppressed that she even existed put everything in perspective. Despite of all the good and moral she felt she had, none of it mattered in the end. Despite her superpowers, she was useless to her loved ones. She was fucking useless.

The brainwashing went on for several minutes. And then, just as the machine had unexpectedly powered on, it turned off and it rose from his head. James was left wheezing, his breathing erratic and his body shaking. He stared ahead at nothing, his welcoming light blue eyes now a dark and shady color. The pink in his cheeks lessened, and he took a few more mouthful of breaths before he seemed to calm down.

A white coat-wearing figure walked into his room. Wanda immediately recognized Doctor List. His mouth moved – he was speaking to James. Once he was done talking, James suddenly looked at her.

Wanda froze against the bed. His eyes no longer held any of his warmth; instead it was replaced by emptiness.

 _Please remember me_ , she begged.

James' head shook. He returned his attention to Doctor List. Wanda heaved, streams of tears running wild. Lips quivering as she openly wept in front of von Strucker, Wanda bowed her head down.

Another word was rewritten. Heartbreak. The amount of heartbreak Wanda found herself going through, time and time again, she wondered if she was cursed. Whether she was destined to live a live with so much sorrow. She had cried for years about her parents' death, and now essentially, she had lost James. The only man she had ever loved. The only man who had loved her for _her_.

Enraptured by her own darkness, Wanda failed to notice her bed coming back down. The fluorescent lights beamed on her almost cruelly. It mocked at her, as if she had a chance to find peace and light. There would never be any peace for – she had signed that way once she had volunteered. She was at their mercy, their beck and call, now and for the rest of her days. Even though she wouldn't be able remember James, she just knew that an inner part of her mind _would_. Somehow, it would remain kept hidden away. And it would emerge when she needed it most, whenever what would be. Perhaps in days of yore, when she was searching for a love she might've had. A love story like theirs could've be erased forever, she wholeheartedly believed.

"This will teach you to never disobey us again," von Strucker bristled into her ear.

Wanda sniffed and exhaled one last dainty breath, turning to her still unconscious twin brother. Funnily, she felt comfort that he had been asleep. A sensitive soul like his required peace. He was free in his own head, truly and deservedly uncatchable.

Assistants dressed in lab coats entered the room and carried out Wanda into the hallway. She had stopped crying and kept her eyes compressed. She was brought into the same room as James, but he was no longer there. The assistants unlatched the cuffs and raised her from the underarms to the chair. It was warm, and Wanda's chapped lips lurched into a tiny smile.

When the assistants left and von Strucker appeared, Wanda's smile dropped. She was now finally devoid of any emotion – her face was pale and utterly blank. She didn't even fear for the pain that was about to come. She had suffered enough, she didn't need the work of a machine to remind her.

Seeing von Strucker smirking sinisterly, Wanda closed her eyes. Her focal point was the origin of the warmth of the chair. Not the Winter Soldier. His name was James Buchanan Barnes. Her one true love.

As she had suspected, the forsaken electricity damaging her mind and soul was nothing compared to the lifetime of misery ahead of her.

* * *

 **A/N:** I couldn't have finished without listening to the Love Theme of Romeo and Juliet ('68 version) and the finale theme for Love Story. Both films were very inspiring.

When I first thought of this story, I didn't want Wanda and Bucky to be found in a compromising position, which is usually the norm when it concerns forbidden love. In my mind, I always felt that the smallest of things, like a hickey, could get them caught. They don't have any belongings, like a necklace or a ring, so to me, a physical mark is what would bring them down.

I'm already working on a sequel, which is titled Partition. This is during Civil War, but more Wanda and Bucky-centered as they start remembering their time with HYDRA. But the first chapter won't be posted until near the end of March.

And finally, a million thanks to everyone who read the story and left comments, followed and favorited. This was my first fanfic in some years now, and my first in this world, so I can't thank you enough for your support.


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